Goya's use of empty space has been described as an indication of how his work, of all the Old Masters, is closest to the spirit of Modernism.
He was to use areas of empty space for dramatic and evocative effect again in his Black Paintings, notably in The Dog and The Great He-Goat.
 Hughes, writing on how Goya anticipates a number of the later ideas of European art, remarked in 2004 of the "naked power with which Goya has played off void against solid, black against light, empty space against full."
The picture rewards detailed examination, in that much of the subtleties are not at first obvious.
For example, the late mayor's shoe can be seen in the distance protruding from the bull's neck, making the man all the more pathetic a figure against the force and strength of the animal.
 Another is the small black triangle of the bull's right horn, protruding from the mayor's back, evidence that he is not merely injured but is, in fact, mortally wounded or completely dead (the figure's other characteristics make clear that the body is quite lifeless).
Goya's use of empty space has been described as an indication of how his work, of all the Old Masters, is closest to the spirit of Modernism. He was to use areas of empty space for dramatic and evocative effect again in his Black Paintings, notably in The Dog and The Great He-Goat.  Hughes, writing on how Goya anticipates a number of the later ideas of European art, remarked in 2004 of the "naked power with which Goya has played off void against solid, black against light, empty space against full." The picture rewards detailed examination, in that much of the subtleties are not at first obvious. For example, the late mayor's shoe can be seen in the distance protruding from the bull's neck, making the man all the more pathetic a figure against the force and strength of the animal.  Another is the small black triangle of the bull's right horn, protruding from the mayor's back, evidence that he is not merely injured but is, in fact, mortally wounded or completely dead (the figure's other characteristics make clear that the body is quite lifeless).
Unfortunate events in the front seats of the ring of Madrid, and the death of the mayor of Torrejón