Spanish Bullfighting (WARNING potentially offensive images)

[Ivan Garcia]

Sport, Art, or barbarity?
I took a series of images at a bullfight event last summer, I was a mere spectator, anchored down, without the benefit of free movement to find the best angles, and the fight took place at night with artificial lighting, presenting me with very challenging conditions to test my mantle.
Although I am against this kind of events, I approached it as I do with all my photo shoots, I just tried to do my best; however, I would like your opinion on this Spanish tradition.
(please do not edit)

Image data
Canon 5D with 100-400L is @235mm
Hand held 1/100sec. @f/6.3
Iso 3200
WB@3200K
If popular enough, I will post a few more of this series once I get more time to work on them.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Ivan,

This is a great picture. It is difficult to compose when not able to move around. Still you have framed the action well. There are strong intersecting vertical and iagonal lines meeting in the red cloth. The fight is designed as a spectacle of grace, beauty in the face of brute stength.

It has color, verve, style and a millennium or more of culture embedded inside your photograph. You have captured all that. This picture can be blown up to billboard size and it would still work. Of course, there are real criticisms and things you might have like to get in the picture better than you have. You must have other images that you could use, if you wished to swop say a very sharp version of the red cloth, but with a fold blurred, to make the bull moving but not the cloth. However, I find it is satisfying as is and such variants are no criticism of what you have presented.

I would, if it is appropriate for me to suggest, blur the background, since it takes away from the picture. I might consider adding more light to the right side of his face and his back to increase his dimensionality. One could deblur with Focus Magic the red cloth if possible and sharpen along the bull's spine, since that provides a strong diagonal meeting the red.

What is that cloth called?

Thanks again Ivan for sharing this old Spanish tradition with us. It certainly keep the amount of blood spilled to a minimum and is not as bad as bombing the wrong country!

Is it any worse than shooting animals or hunting with a bow and arrow? Well only in the fact that it is designed to weaken the bull slowly and the bull suffers more perhaps. Still a wounded deer that gets away, dies like that too!

The bullfight is not really a fight!

The two didn't come to be contestants through some argument or agreed duel. No parking space was at risk nor a ladies honor or even a single barrel of oil!

It is rather a dance, a metaphor of the skilled erotic dancer, a beautiful gentleman facing a furious beast. It is thus ceremonial. Its origins therefore may be in pre-history!

All the parts, steps and stages are pre-arranged like a baptism, coronation or a seductive tryst.

All have their formulaic required steps and stages. We just look for the particular color, style, flair and nuances the officiants bring to the way things happen.

The what is pre-ordained.

Asher

 

[Ivan Garcia]

Hi Asher.
Thank you for your comments.
Although I did not ask for it in this particular post, well thought critique, makes us better photographers/image manipulators, and it is always welcome. I did think of blurring the background myself, but, I am very busy with my business and application for my BA, so that version will have to wait.
My main aim here is to present a series of documentary pictures, to encourage discussion on this Spanish tradition.
The red cloth is called “Muleta” and the pink/yellow one “Capote”.
Both have predetermined moves, the fighter chooses which ones He will perform depending on how the bull takes the cloth, every bull has different characteristics, which the fighters (the good ones) adapt to in order to create a visually pleasing performance.
In the wild (as wild as they can get within the confines of the huge grounds they are kept in) if given the chance, the bull will rather run away from you that confront you.
It is only after several hours of cattle truck transport, in the hot Spanish summer sun, and without being given any food or water, that the bulls arrives at the fighting ring.
Once there, they are kept in the building “Corrales” were they go through a series of barbaric treatments to weaken them.
Sulphates are put in their water to induce diarrhoea, they are beaten repeatedly in their kidneys, testicles, and legs, sometimes so severely that the bull continuously losses his front legs during the fight, a substance is spread in the bedding that makes them itch so that the animal can’t keep still and is always on the move, Vaseline is rubbed on to their eyes to impede their vision, heavy weights are hung on their necks for hours, and their horns are sanded round, all of this, to protect the fighter.
Then, of course is on to the “Arena” were depending on how strong they arrive there, the fighter will instruct the horseman (Picador) the level of damage to inflict via his lance (puya) then he instructs his helpers (cuadrilla) which model of the fancifully decorated harpoons (“Banderillas”) with hooks up to 5 inches in length to use, depending on how well the picador has done his job, different Banderillas are used, their sole purpose to inflict even more damage and/or keep the wounds inflicted by the picador open so that the flow of blood is kept going, further weakening the animal.
Some fighters like to indulge in this part of the event themselves, with (sometimes) impressive displays that bring the crowds to frenzy.
By the time he picks up the red cloth, the bull is so week and has suffered so much damage, survival instincts is the only thing keeping him going.
(ps: why the double post?)

 

[Asher Kelman]

Thanks Ivan for the education on the pre-fight "preparation" of the bull.

This for sure is a barbaric level of cruelty that is against all modern sense of decency. I'm disgusted that these procedures are even allowed in a country that moved away from the practices of the Inquisition. At least, in the latter barbarism, there was a delusional but wicked belief that conversions of Jews was required to get souls corrected as part of God's work. The belief still exists but today it's done by giving food and hospital care to the needy in poor communities. Even being Christian doesn't protect people from these modern, but still self rightiously delusional Inquisitors. Year round, Baptists, Evangelicals, Mormons, Anglicans and Catholics seduce poor Armenians Orthodox Christians or Christians in the African continent to their brand of their brandname, robbing cultures no different from genocides. This is cruelty little different than the dirty little secrets you expose behind bullfighting.

We should celebrate each persons Christianity, Islam, Judaism or what ever they value, as part of rich cultural heritages. None is more holy. God, I'm sure has many doors to enter mansions he might have in the cosmos!

Animals? We should treasure them. They too are precious heritages we can protect or hurt. Animals may need to be eaten but why torture them? Cruelty does not become modern man!

I find it hard to believe that a modern state in Europe would allow such cruelty to continue?

Well boxing is such a damaging sport, but there the players themselves choose to do this although IMHO, they too are misinformed and delusional!

This is way controversial I guess, but cruelty has no place for modern man striving to rise above the brutality of our ancestors!

Here, maybe we're preaching to the choir, but I feel better that you have exposed a beautiful but wrong ceremony which, IMHO, has outlived it's honored place in society.

Your photography does a good job!

Asher

I wish you could get behind the scenes!

 

[Will_Perlis]

What's interesting to me is the picture tells a story the exact opposite of the words. The picture makes me want to try it myself.

 

[Ray West]

Funny old world, isn't it?

 

[Ivan Garcia]

What's interesting to me is the picture tells a story the exact opposite of the words. The picture makes me want to try it myself.

And that what makes this so called art so attractive, it looks beautiful, although things not always go to plan.
This fighter was caught napping

Although He recovered quickly

And proved his bravery to the crowd

 

[Ivan Garcia]

His helper didn’t have an easy night neither

Not even the horseman was safe in this one

Still want to do this?

Please forgive me for the quality of my PP, it has been done quickly to illustrate this thread, and not for display/printing purposes.

 

[Will_Perlis]

Ivan,

I've been riding motorcycles on the streets since 1975 so I'm probably as foolhardy as a matador. My MD thinks so. In any case, your pictures really do capture action well, there's just enough blur to show motion and not enough to have me cleaning my screen in a vain attempt to see better.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Kudos Ivan!

The blood on the men certainly makes it appear that he's at very great risk of dying. What is the mortality due to bull fights for the matadors?

Asher

 

[Ivan Garcia]

Thank you Asher and will for your comments.
The mortality rate for the Matador is not so high nowadays, Medical knowledge has improved over the years, and so wounds are dealt with efficiently, although, the danger of death still there if the bull damages a mayor artery like the femoral on the inside leg (a common injury for these fighters) and help does not arrive in time. The strength of these animals can be seen in the way the horse got knocked down (believe me the pictures don’t quiet illustrate how fast this happens), it is for this reason the bulls get the Pre-fight treatment.
In the old days, the bulls were what we call “enteros”, meaning they did not get the damaged prior to the fight and arrived on to the arena with full strength, so the death rate was, as you can imagine, much higher, averaging 6-7 per year, the horses also suffered severe casualties, for they did not have the protective mantle they have now , 8-9 horses would die in vain during the course of a fight, today those numbers are unheard of, although, broken ribs and other internal injuries still occur, ultimately ending with the horse being put down, in any case the horses rarely last more than 4-5 fights before their injury’s finally take their toll.

 

[Jeff O'Neil]

Ivan,

Thank you for such an eye opening series of photo's. I'm with Asher on this one. It's barbaric and done only for entertainment. I personally can't stand any abuse of any animal.

Your photo's do have a very gutsy emotional feel to them that I really like. Others with more experience then I will comment on verticals and intersecting lines..but I tend to look at the photo from a "what did it make me immediately think?" standpoint. In several of the last shots I was clearly rooting for the bull! All of them instantly made me recognize just how violent bull fighting really is. And given your explanations of the bull "pre-fight preparation" it's hardly a fair fight.

Only modern men will beat the living tar out of an animal and then challenge it to fight. How truly sad.

Very well done and the commentary was very enlightening.

Jeff

 

[Ivan Garcia]

Thank you Jeff.
I was rooting for the bull too, alas, the poor thing doesn’t have a chance; although sometimes they get pardon (a very rare event), very few survive their injuries.
There is some good news though, Barcelona has banned these events for good, and hopefully more cities will follow their lead.

 

[KrisCarnmarker]

Hi Ivan,

I'll join in on the praise for you image series and commentary.

This Spanish tradition is truly one of the strangest things in Europe today. How this can be allowed to continue is incomprehensible. IMO, Spain should not have been allowed to join the EU until this was abandoned. But then, the EU does not much care about animal rights, as can be seen by the lax rules on animal raising, transport and slaughter.

I was quite surprised to read your description of the "pre-flight preparations". Anyone seeing one of these bullfights can readily see that all is not right with the bull when it enters the arena. However, I have always thought that it was simply drugged. I have to admit finding out that this is not the case and that they are outright tortured has shook me. I was actually breaking a sweat from anger! What kind of person can do this to any creature? What has the bull done to deserve such treatment? And simply for entertainment!

I am pleased to read that Barcelona has banned these events. Good for them! Was this a popular decision or did it go against the will of the people? I'm also curious to know what the general feeling is towards bullfighting in Spain. Obviously there are plenty of people who enjoy the event, but would a hypothetical referendum be able to ban this across the nation?

What about the Portuguese style of bullfighting? I know they do not kill the bull, but if everything else is the same (e.g. the "pre flight"), then maybe the killing is just merciful.

 

[Ivan Garcia]

Hello Kris.
It is indeed a real shame on my country man to carry on with such atrocities.
Barcelona has made a bold move in banning this “sport” ; it was not a popular decision, there are a lot of people which are ignorant in the way these animals get treated.(I was one of them!)
I don’t think a referendum will go in favour of abolishing bullfighting; it is regarded as the national “sport”, and is imbedded in the national identity. Most of the people in favour of the event, argue that without it, the bull will simply cease to exist. Barcelona is trying to educate people in the fact that, Portuguese stile of bullfighting will still be allowed, this will not only keep people entertained, but It will allow breeders to make their profits, hence keeping the bull alive and kicking, a very cleaver move.
It may very well take several years, but none the less, this is IMHO, the way forwards, for us as human beings, and for the bull to survive.
I do not know if the Portuguese use the same Pre-fight treatment, I for one will hope not, I guess the best person to ask here will be Antonio.
Antonio, can you enlighten us in these matters?

 

[Antonio Correia]

I have written a lot of text and I lost it because I hit the Go Advanced button !!"!
Sheat !!!
The button send me log in when I was loged in.
You have to wait until I write it again.(((((

 

[Asher Kelman]

I appreciate that these pictures were brought to us! We need to get doses of reality.

Asher

 

[Antonio Correia]

I have just talked to someone really connected with this business – it’s a business after all – and he told me that the question of it’s existence has been raised when Spain was about to come to the Community.
Then, France was already a member of the Community and the question of Spain has been talked in the European Parliament. As France had already this so called tradition, Spain was accepted without any type of restrictions on this matter.

He told me that today in Barcelona the case has been talked because there is – in his opinion – a left political party that is willing to chase the bullfight from Catalunha.

As you may know, Catalunha has some questions with Madrid regarding independence.
But I don’t know much more than this.

In France, he told me, bullfighting is restricted to an area of the country.

I would like to express my own opinion now.
I think bullfight is cruel and should not exist in spite of being a tradition. It was a tradition to give people to the lions and it is stopped.
Animals are badly treated even before going into the arena.
In Portugal there is only one place where they can kill animals. The question has been talked then but the Government legalized it.
Today the people from there say it was much more interesting when it was forbidden !!

I like to see – I am not going to a bullfight since I was 10, and I am 58 now – from what I watch on TV when I am zapping the man and the animal when he has the red blanket and dances with the animal.
That will give me very nice pictures when I’ll shoot a bullfight one of these days.

But when it will come the moment they hurt the animal I refuse to assist.

Maltreat animals is a problem Man will never solve, like wars will never stop as there will be financial interests in it.
Here is a picture of the transportation of an animal in Vietnam.
I have seen such scenes all over Indochina or Africa.

If Men don’t treat themselves correctly why should they treat animals differently ?

The animal here is alive !!!

 

[Antonio Correia]

Did you read my text ?
I'm asking myself why there are no comments ...

and more arguing.
I'm sure there will be here persons liking such a spectacle !

 

[Will_Perlis]

"Sport, Art, or barbarity?"

Okay, I'll take the hook. I see no reason at all why the above categories are or should be mutually exclusive. Bullfighting is all three at the same time.

 

[Antonio Correia]

"Sport, Art, or barbarity?"

Okay, I'll take the hook. I see no reason at all why the above categories are or should be mutually exclusive. Bullfighting is all three at the same time.

Accept barbarity in Art or Sport ?
Any compatibility in this ?

 

[Will_Perlis]

"Accept" as in approve of, or "accept" as in seeing they can co-exist?

http://www.masters-of-photography.com/S/smith/smith_minamata.html

 

[Antonio Correia]

"Accept" as in approve of, or "accept" as in seeing they can co-exist?

http://www.masters-of-photography.com/S/smith/smith_minamata.html

I don't quite understand how Art and/or Sport can co-exist with Barbarity !...

Does it mean there can be Barbarity with Art ?
Or Art with Barbarity ?

 

[Ivan Garcia]

I know this picture, I saw it in a life book of 20th century photography when I was 8 years old, (god time does fly doesn’t it) this is a mother giving her child a bath, which is severely deformed due to mercury poisoning (if memory serves me right that is). I believe it is regarded as Smith’s finest work.
I think what Will is trying to say is, that you can use Art to illustrate barbarity, Goya’s “The Third of May 1808: The Execution of the Defenders of Madrid” springs to mind as another example.

I can’t agree with this particular spectacle, there is something fundamentally wrong with humans torturing animals as an expression of their art. Althogh, as you can see in my photographs, I agree with the use of Art to denounce Barbarism,

 

[Asher Kelman]

Depraved performance can be entertaining. Tonight I walked out of "Princess Lea"'s performance recounting the drunken life of her mother Debbie Reynolds as well as her oown.

The audience laughed at each drunken episode described, each humiliation and drug overdose.

To me, this was sick voyeurism. People seem to get entertained by other people's entrails.

Maybe bullfighting is something like this.

Its a kind of voyeuristic sadism; a Maiyan sacrifice of humans, a crucifixion, causing both revulsion and worship at the same time, an irony that I have puzzled about.

But can it be art? Unfortunately, art is uncensored. It can be mundane, informative, political, holy or even evil. Yes art can have embodied in its form our worst motivations. And yes, it can be beautiful, as ballet can be beautiful with swaggering young men in the ring before crowds of thousands prance, strut and display their art their cruel.

Asher

 

[KrisCarnmarker]

Hi Antonio,

Thanks for enlightening us some more. I, for one, had no idea Portugal still allowed the killing of the bull (in some areas), or that France had bullfighting at all.

Unfortunately, I think you are right in that we will always have animal cruelty. People do the most horrible things to other people so it should be no surprise that they do the same to animals. Having said that, there is a difference, in my opinion, between a "psychopath" doing so and "normal" people doing it simply for entertainment. In this city where I live, there is a current fad amongst the bored youth. They will catch a stray kitten and drive down the highway. Then they will throw the kitten out the car window and take bets on how long it survives. A truly despicable act! It was headline news, and the police chief was quoted as saying this was illegal, but it was difficult to prosecute. This is of course BS, as there has been plenty of witnesses and photographic evidence.

There is nothing much I can do personally about bullfighting in Spain or the monsters of this city (I could go vigilante, but that would be suicide here), but if I may take the opportunity and remind everyone that there are organizations who do wonderful and effective work and need our support. One such organization is Animals Asia Foundation, who have many programs, such as China Bear Rescue and Friends or Food. I had ear-marked some money for a new camera this x-mas, but since there's was nothing new that I thought was worthwhile, I send it to AAF instead.

©Animals Asia Foundation
Bear on farm caged for 20 years

©Animals Asia Foundation
Waiting to be food

 

[John_Nevill]

Defending the Artiodactyla order.....

Split toned using ACR4 only!

 

[Asher Kelman]

I cannot imagine one iota of improvement!

How can anyone not show respect for such a creature!

Asher

 

[Ivan Garcia]

I like it john!!
It has a wonderful Christmas feel to it.

 

[Antonio Correia]

Hi Antonio,

Thanks for enlightening us some more. I, for one, had no idea Portugal still allowed the killing of the bull (in some areas), or that France had bullfighting at all.

Unfortunately, I think you are right in that we will always have animal cruelty. People do the most horrible things to other people so it should be no surprise that they do the same to animals. Having said that, there is a difference, in my opinion, between a "psychopath" doing so and "normal" people doing it simply for entertainment. In this city where I live, there is a current fad amongst the bored youth. They will catch a stray kitten and drive down the highway. Then they will throw the kitten out the car window and take bets on how long it survives. A truly despicable act! It was headline news, and the police chief was quoted as saying this was illegal, but it was difficult to prosecute. This is of course BS, as there has been plenty of witnesses and photographic evidence.

There is nothing much I can do personally about bullfighting in Spain or the monsters of this city (I could go vigilante, but that would be suicide here), but if I may take the opportunity and remind everyone that there are organizations who do wonderful and effective work and need our support. One such organization is Animals Asia Foundation, who have many programs, such as China Bear Rescue and Friends or Food. I had ear-marked some money for a new camera this x-mas, but since there's was nothing new that I thought was worthwhile, I send it to AAF instead.
©Animals Asia Foundation
Bear on farm caged for 20 years
©Animals Asia Foundation
Waiting to be food

Khris.
When people do such a thing to cats, there would be only one way to overcome the problem: examplar punishments.

What do I mean ? In certain countries of Indochina Peninsula, like Myanmar and Laos the traffic of drugs is punished by law with death. It is not human or correct to do it, just because they produce drug themselves ...

But these people would need some punishment which would be an example for the others...

The question is that sooner or later, another comparaison would come up and the exemplar punishment would have no effect or would be very very argued.

In the States - and correct me if I am wrong - the possibility of having a gun is very large. I mean, it's easy to have a gun.

People who get guns easily are those who will kill humans later on very easily after a little training in the Army.

Of course, I am not accusing the USA of doing this because this is a transversal problem, it crosses the World.

Portugal had - before the 25th April - a group of young people who formed the basis of the future Army.
Like the Pioneers in the Soviet Union or the Germans during Hitler's rule.

I heard on the news yesterday that the Minister of Education of Spain - a woman - wanted the touradas with killing, to be discussed in the Parliament and that they should be like in Portugal: without the killing of the bull.
They said the problem was not about to be discussed until 2008 or 10.

Enough by now.