The Death of Anton Requena

The identity of Anton Requena remains a mystery, and apart from seeing the man being shot at point-blank range, it is difficult to make out what is going on. Is Requena protecting a huddled woman and child, and closing his eyes in anticipation of the impending blast? In his last drawing album, Goya returned to themes he had tackled earlier, and this drawing may refer to one of the many atrocities that took place during the Peninsular War. This part of the Napoleonic Wars that was fought in Spain, 1808-1814, provided the subject for Goya's famous series of prints, " Disasters of War " (c. 1810-1820, published in 1863).