A right-handed bullfighter fighting from the front from behind (Bullfighting K) (preparatory drawing)

See How the ancient Spaniards hunted bulls on horseback in the countryside.

Preparatory drawing for the print A bullfighter fighting from behind from the front (Bullfighting K). Here we see a bullfighter citing the bull from behind, in a very imaginative suerte. This main pair of bullfighter and bull are located in the foreground to the left, taking all the limelight, while the rest of the figures are located in the background, many of them in the same position as in the later engraving, although some will be eliminated to lighten the composition and make it easier to read. On the right is a group of labourers calling the bull and further to the back a picador on his mount in a different posture to the one he will later have in the engraving, where we see them leaning over his apparently injured horse. In the background we can see the barrier of the bullring and the bullrings with the audience.

The lighting of the scene is different from that of the engraving. It is notable for the mixture of techniques, sanguine and red ink wash, which facilitates the suggestion of movement. In this connection, Gassier links this study to three other preparatory drawings by Goya for prints in the series of the Tauromaquia and its extensions in which the same techniques are used (27a, 32b and 38a). Hofmann, for his part, points out that the red wash helps him to see the effect that the aquatint will have on the subsequent print. He also comments on the three groups in the drawing that contrast with the passive audience, which is sketched in. He also points out the existence of corrections in Goya's hand that allow us to see his creative process.