is a virtuoso display of dynamic brushwork.
In his visceral need to capture the moment,
his depiction has anticipated impressionism.
The speed at which he applied the paint
has infused the canvas with ominous terror.
The left side of the canvas is bathed in light
from a box lantern at the feet of the faceless,
hooded, firing squad of Murat, on the right:
evil is being perpetrated under cover of darkness
by the French incarnations of Death.
The Spanish victims, each a non-combatant,
standing beside three slaughtered patriots
whose bodies lie bloodied in the dirt,
show a mixture of fear, resignation and defiance.
One of them, a monk, his hands clenched in prayer,
seems to be hoping to receive clemency.
The man in the white shirt throws his arms
out wide, challenging the soldiers to shoot him
as more civilians are herded up the slope
to meet their deaths like cattle in an abattoir:
the horrors of war laid bare by an artist in despair.
Tony Dawson, 12 February 2026
Saragun Springs 
Ekphrastic poetry as its most richly expressive. Thank you for sharing. I felt as though I were staring at the canvas beside you.
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Bill
Thank you for the newword. Ekphrastic
Leila
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Yeah, Leila, a very experienced poet told me, five years ago, when I started writing poetry, about ekphrastic poetry and I was impressed and bewildered and scurried to look the word up. It’s not a regular part of my vocabulary, that I use over a beer with friends.
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Hi Tony
Your work has greatly improved my lacking art knowledge. A wonderful idea for the poetic form.
Leila
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Tony
“the horrors of war laid bare by an artist in despair” is an almost-perfect way to end this poem (“almost” only because there is no perfection in modern poetry after T.S. Eliot, nor should there be).
Your poem recreates the painting for those who know it and it makes those who don’t know it want to go know it. Either way, or both ways, excellent work! Your selection of source materials is impeccable and you do them justice.
Dale
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An excellent ekphrastic of a classic work of art. Nice added tidbit, too, about the work anticipating Impressionism.
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A dynamic portrayal of war, gaping with brutality. The writer seems the one with the paintbrush–creating such powerful images.
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Thanks for the positive feedback. I’d nice to be appreciated.
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