Rounds of Salmon (Ruedas de salmón)

This is the most abstract of the paintings in the series of still lifes, and is also the most straightforward, stripped down of the works. In the centre of the picture, Goya has painted three slices of salmon, positioned in a seemingly improvised manner on a table laid with a white tablecloth. The artist has carefully captured the delicate white streaks in the salmon's flesh.

We can see how the scene grows gradually darker the further back we look, creating an atmosphere which is utterly devoid of any spatial reference.

A comparison can be drawn between this painting and the similarly themed work by Luis Egidio Meléndez, A Piece of

Salmon, a Lemon and three Vessels (Un trozo de salmón, un limón y tres vasijas) (1772, Prado Museum, Madrid), although this earlier work features a richer palette of colours as well as a greater variety of objects.

For more information, see Pieces of Lamb.