Friar Pedro Shoots El Maragato as His Horse Runs Off
1806 Art Institute of Chicago
About this artwork
This painting is part of a series depicting the legendary struggle between the bandit El Maragato and the friar Pedro de Zaldivia. It illustrates a moment of high tension as the friar discharges his musket at the fleeing bandit.
Did you know?
This work is one of several panels Goya created to recount the true story of Friar Pedro, who single-handedly captured the notorious bandit El Maragato after being robbed. The series is celebrated for its cinematic, storyboard-like quality, which predates modern sequential art by over a century. Goya's focus on the raw, unidealized violence of the encounter highlights his shift toward themes of human brutality and social instability.
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Friar Pedro Shoots El Maragato as His Horse Runs Off
Francisco Goya, 1806
