GRAHAM GUY BARRATT

Blood red tunics and Corpus Christi mark the beginning of this years Bullfighting Season in Sevilla. As red wax drips from the candles so to will blood soon drip into the sands of the bullrings across Spain.

Chilled droplets of water fall into the ring from grey clouds above as the bull and Juan Manuel Sanchez begin to play out the decisive moment. The lunge goes wrong and moments later Juan slips and dances limp bodied above the horns of the bull before falling to the ground. Salvation arrives and his team distract the bull leaving Juan to lift himself from a sandy puddle and regain the minutes before facing the bull once more.

Madrid at the Plaza De Toros Monumental De Las Ventas.

Two Picadors look on as a matador concludes his fight in what seems an inevitable conclusion for the bull, although nothing can ever taken for grated in the ring. Miles away in Madrid on the same evening a matador met his end, pierced by a horn above the groin and ripped open to the chest.

Madrid at the Plaza De Toros Monumental De Las Ventas.

A Picador grabs his lance as he enters the ring. Sevilla on the evening of 10th June 2004

Jesuli de Torrecera goes high and finds the target thrusting the sword deep between the shoulders plunging the end deep into the body of the bull severing the aorta killing the bull almost instantly.

Refreshment between bouts as the corpse of the first bull of the evenings leaves the ring with crimson trails dragged behind mules with blood red plumes to match. The thirst of the crowd wetted for the next bloody and what appears to be one sided contest to follow.

Plaza De Toros De Marbella

Plaza De Toros ticket seller Javier smokes his Monte Cristo has he finishes selling tickets on another sell out night.

Plaza De Toros Monumental De Las Ventas, Madrid

Outside the Plaza De Toros Monumental De Las Ventas, Madrid.

In the shade of the Calle Circo outside the ring the heavy horses of the Picadors are warmed up and exercised by their assistants. The hollow sound of heavy hooves weighed down by the laden animals armour echoes back from the surrounding walls.

Madrid at the Plaza De Toros Monumental De Las Ventas.

Seville 10th June. As he stands in the ring with the first two acts complete Luis Vilches stands waiting for the fight to begin.

Take away. Loaded up under cover of darkness the brave Toro’s of tonight’s bill are now squeezed without audience and ceremony into the back of waiting lorries ready to take them through empty street to the butchers waiting in the city outskirts ready to carve and serve back into some of the cites premium restaurants.

A trail of red points to the exit as fresh rings are painted before the next bull enters the ring.

Madrid at the Plaza De Toros Monumental De Las Ventas.

With Jusuli de Torrecera’s first bout of the evening over he’s awarded two cuts for his 'Mander' (domination and control) of the bull by the president. Admiration indeed as he thanks all in the ring with a lap of machismo honour as the body of the bull leaves from the other side of the ring in its extinguished silence, a silence that is repeated around 24,000 times in front of a reported 30 million people each year.

Blood chemistry identified recently related psychopaths who crave emotional intensity in risk taking with that of matadors. I don’t know if I believe matadors are psychopaths but are simply human beings craving the emotional intensity that is part of taking risks. Matadors actions I’m sure are a great deal to do with a personal and a wider kind of faith maybe, an intermingling of fear, superstition, Catholic iconography mixing both Christian and pre-Christian influences in an attempt to understand the termination of life and to celebrate survival.
Plaza De Toras De Marbella.

The ‘Tendido’ emptied and cushions thrown into the ring.
Plaza De Toros De Marbella.