Barbarians! (Bárbaros!)

Two armed Napoleonic soldiers prepare to shoot a man who has been tied to the trunk of a tree, his back to the viewer: a typical method of executing traitors. In the middle ground, in the lower section of the composition, the rest of the detail observes the scene taking place.

In Barbarians! Goya revisits the theme of execution by firearm already dealt with in other prints in the series such as no. 15, And it can't be helped (Y no hai remedio) and no. 26, One cannot look at this (No se puede mirar). However, in this work he includes a variation, since he not only depicts the barrels of the guns but also the executioners. In this case the artist takes up a clear position against this type of act, censuring it openly in the print's title. Perhaps the cruelty of the scene is heightened in comparison to other works in the series by the fact that the soldiers are punishing a member of their own army, shooting him in the back.

The light is focused on the central section of the print in an effect that reveals ample use of aquatint, while the rest of the composition is lit by a kind of mist that indicates that the scene is taking place at dawn or dusk. The artist offers the viewer a close-up of the figures, making it possible to capture every detail of the event depicted.