Eternal Flame...am I only dreaming?

Eternal Flame commemorates the May 2nd uprisings in Spain, where poorly armed rebels rose up around La Puerto de Sol to take on  Napoleon's troops.  The Spanish mob reacted especially strongly to the French elite horseback unit the Marmelukes, who they mistook for Moors.  They repelled them for a time and the scene was famously captured by pre-Black Album Goya in the first painting.  The French eventually suppressed the rebellion and smoked everyone, memorialized in the second painting.  I found this interesting mostly because I always thought Marmeluke was some kind of racial slur

Glory

 

The Aftermath...Napoleon settles all family business

The audio guide implies that Goya painted this in such a way as to imply that he was actually on the scene.  But you can't always believe the people that say "I was there."  Something like 40,000 people in Massachussets claim they were at the Carlton Fisk game (including my mom, I think) and that stadium only holds 34.  I don't even believe everyone who's got a photo or a ticket stub...never mind a painting, no matter how impressive the use of shadows and light to create depth is.  Sorry Goya.