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 Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves humans and animals attempting to publicly subdue, immobilise, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are many different forms and varieties in various locations around the world. Some forms involve dancing around or over a cow or bull, or attempting to grasp an object from the animal. The best-known form of bullfighting is Spanish-style bullfighting, a traditional spectacle in countries including Spain, Portugal, parts of southern France, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru. While some forms are sometimes considered to be a blood sport, in some countries, for example Spain, it is defined as an art form or cultural event[1] and relevant regulatory frameworks liken it to other cultural events and heritage.[2][3] In Spain, toreros (bullfighters) are almost as popular as football stars, often supported by sponsors and appearing in press.[better source needed][4] A particular breed of cattle, the Spanish Fighting Bull, is used for this type of bullfighting. These bulls must be bred in large ranches, and in conditions as similar as possible to the way they would live in the wild[citation needed]. There are many historic fighting venues in the Iberian Peninsula, France, and Latin America. The largest venue of its kind is the Plaza México in central Mexico City, which seats 48,000 people,[5] and the oldest are the Plazas of Béjar and Ronda, in the Spanish provinces of Salamanca and Málaga. All the bullrings have a complex pricing system, main factors being the sun and shadow, proximity to the action, and experience levels of torero.[6] The practice of bullfighting is controversial because of a range of concerns including animal welfare, funding, and religion. Bullfighting is illegal in most countries, but remains legal in most areas of Spain and Portugal, as well as in some Hispanic American countries and some parts of southern France.[7] Contents 1 History 2 Styles 2.1 Spanish 2.2 Portuguese 2.3 French 3 Similar customs in other countries 3.1 Tamil Nadu (India) 3.2 United States 3.3 Tanzania 3.4 Bull wrestling (bull against bull) 4 Hazards 5 Cultural aspects 6 Women in bullfighting 7 Popularity, controversy, and criticism 7.1 Popularity 7.2 Animal welfare 7.3 Funding 7.4 Politics 7.5 Religion 7.6 Media prohibitions 7.7 Declaration as cultural patrimony 7.8 Bans 8 See also 9 References 10 External links History[edit] See also: Sacred bull Bull-leaping: Fresco from Knossos, Crete Bullfighting traces its roots to prehistoric bull worship and sacrifice in Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean region. The first recorded bullfight may be the Epic of Gilgamesh, which describes a scene in which Gilgamesh and Enkidu fought and killed the Bull of Heaven ("The Bull seemed indestructible, for hours they fought, till Gilgamesh dancing in front of the Bull, lured it with his tunic and bright weapons, and Enkidu thrust his sword, deep into the Bull's neck, and killed it").[8] Bull leaping was portrayed in Crete, and myths related to bulls throughout Greece. The killing of the sacred bull (tauroctony) is the essential central iconic act of Mithras, which was commemorated in the mithraeum wherever Roman soldiers were stationed. The oldest representation of what seems to be a man facing a bull is on the Celtiberian tombstone from Clunia and the cave painting El toro de hachos, both found in Spain.[9][10] Bullfighting is often linked to Rome, where many human-versus-animal events were held as competition and entertainment, the Venationes. These hunting games spread to Africa, Europe and Asia during Roman times. There are also theories that it was introduced into Hispania by the Emperor Claudius, as a substitute for gladiators, when he instituted a short-lived ban on gladiatorial combat. The latter theory was supported by Robert Graves (picadors are related to warriors who wielded the javelin, but their role in the contest is now a minor one limited to "preparing" the bull for the matador.) Spanish colonists took the practice of breeding cattle and bullfighting to the American colonies, the Pacific and Asia. In the 19th century, areas of southern and southwestern France adopted bullfighting, developing their own distinctive form. Mithras killing a bull Religious festivities and royal weddings were celebrated by fights in the local plaza, where noblemen would ride competing for royal favor, and the populace enjoyed the excitement. In the Middle Ages across Europe, knights would joust in competitions on horseback. In Spain, they began to fight bulls. In medieval Spain bullfighting was considered a noble sport and reserved to the rich, who could afford to supply and train their animals. The bull was released into a closed arena where a single fighter on horseback was armed with a lance. This spectacle was said to be enjoyed by Charlemagne, Alfonso X the Wise and the Almohad caliphs, among others. The greatest Spanish performer of this art is said to have been the knight El Cid. According to a chronicle of the time, in 1128 "... when Alfonso VII of León and Castile married Berengaria of Barcelona daughter of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona at Saldaña among other celebrations, there were also bullfights."[11] In the time of Emperor Charles V, Pedro Ponce de Leon was the most famous bullfighter in Spain and a renovator of the technique of killing the bull on a horse with blindfolded eyes.[12] Juan de Quirós, the best Sevillian poet of that time, dedicated to him a poem in Latin, of which Benito Arias Montano transmits some verses.[13] Francisco Romero, from Ronda, Spain, is generally regarded as having been the first to introduce the practice of fighting bulls on foot around 1726, using the muleta in the last stage of the fight and an estoc to kill the bull. This type of fighting drew more attention from the crowds. Thus the modern corrida, or fight, began to take form, as riding noblemen were replaced by commoners on foot. This new style prompted the construction of dedicated bullrings, initially square, like the Plaza de Armas, and later round, to discourage the cornering of the action. The modern style of Spanish bullfighting is credited to Juan Belmonte, generally considered the greatest matador of all time. Belmonte introduced a daring and revolutionary style, in which he stayed within a few centimetres of the bull throughout the fight. Although extremely dangerous (Belmonte was gored on many occasions), his style is still seen by most matadors as the ideal to be emulated. Styles[edit] A bull fight in Barcelona, Spain, ca.1900 Monument to a bull, Plaza de Toros de Ronda (Ronda bullring), Spain Originally, at least five distinct regional styles of bullfighting were practised in southwestern Europe: Andalusia, Aragon–Navarre, Alentejo, Camargue, Aquitaine. Over time, these have evolved more or less into standardized national forms mentioned below. The "classic" style of bullfight, in which the bull is killed, is the form practiced in Spain and many Latin American countries. Spanish[edit] Main article: Spanish-style bullfighting Spanish-style bullfighting is called corrida de toros (literally "coursing of bulls") or la fiesta ("the festival"). In the traditional corrida, three matadores each fight two bulls, each of which is between four and six years old and weighs no less than 460 kg (1,014 lb)[14] Each matador has six assistants: two picadores (lancers on horseback) mounted on horseback, three banderilleros – who along with the matadors are collectively known as toreros (bullfighters) – and a mozo de espadas (sword page). Collectively they comprise a cuadrilla (entourage). In Spanish the more general torero or diestro (literally 'right-hander') is used for the lead fighter, and only when needed to distinguish a man is the full title matador de toros used; in English, "matador" is generally used for the bullfighter. Start of tercio de muerte: polished verónica and larga serpentina during a goyesca corrida. Welcoming of a toro" a porta gayola and series of verónica, terminated by a semi-verónica. Structure[edit] The modern corrida is highly ritualized, with three distinct stages or tercios ("thirds"); the start of each being announced by a bugle sound. The participants enter the arena in a parade, called the paseíllo, to salute the presiding dignitary, accompanied by band music. Torero costumes are inspired by 17th-century Andalusian clothing, and matadores are easily distinguished by the gold of their traje de luces ("suit of lights"), as opposed to the lesser banderilleros, who are also known as toreros de plata ("bullfighters of silver"). Tercio de Varas[edit] The bull is released into the ring, where he is tested for ferocity by the matador and banderilleros with the magenta and gold capote ("cape"). This is the first stage, the tercio de varas ("the lancing third"). The matador confronts the bull with the capote, performing a series of passes and observing the behavior and quirks of the bull. Next, a picador enters the arena on horseback armed with a vara (lance). To protect the horse from the bull's horns, the animal wears a protective, padded covering called peto. Prior to 1930, the horses did not wear any protection. Often the bull would disembowel the horse during this stage. Until the use of protection was instituted, the number of horses killed during a fiesta generally exceeded the number of bulls killed.[15] At this point, the picador stabs just behind the morrillo, a mound of muscle on the fighting bull's neck, weakening the neck muscles and leading to the animal's first loss of blood. The manner in which the bull charges the horse provides important clues to the matador about the bull such as which horn the bull favors. As a result of the injury and also the fatigue of striving to injure the armoured heavy horse, the bull holds its head and horns slightly lower during the following stages of the fight. This ultimately enables the matador to perform the killing thrust later in the performance. The encounter with the picador often fundamentally changes the behaviour of a bull; distracted and unengaging bulls will become more focused and stay on a single target instead of charging at everything that moves, conserving their diminished energy reserves. Tercio de Banderillas[edit] In the next stage, the tercio de banderillas ("the third of banderillas"), each of the three banderilleros attempts to plant two banderillas, sharp barbed sticks, into the bull's shoulders. These anger and agitate the bull reinvigorating him from the aplomado (literally 'leadened') state his attacks on the horse and injuries from the lance left him in. Sometimes a matador will place his own banderillas. If so, he usually embellishes this part of his performance and employs more varied manoeuvres than the standard al cuarteo method commonly used by banderilleros. Plaza de Toros Las Ventas in Madrid Tercio de Muerte[edit] In the final stage, the tercio de muerte ("the third of death"), the matador re-enters the ring alone with a smaller red cloth, or muleta, and a sword. It is a common misconception that the color red is supposed to anger the bull; the animals are functionally colorblind in this respect: the bull is incited to charge by the movement of the muleta.[16][17] The muleta is thought to be red to mask the bull's blood, although the color is now a matter of tradition. The matador uses his muleta to attract the bull in a series of passes, which serve the dual purpose of wearing the animal down for the kill and creating sculptural forms between man and animal that can fascinate or thrill the audience, and which when linked together in a rhythm create a dance of passes, or faena. The matador will often try to enhance the drama of the dance by bringing the bull's horns especially close to his body. The faena refers to the entire performance with the muleta. The faena is usually broken down into tandas, or "series", of passes. The faena ends with a final series of passes in which the matador, using the cape, tries to maneuver the bull into a position to stab it between the shoulder blades going over the horns and thus exposing his own body to the bull. The sword is called estoque, and the act of thrusting the sword is called an estocada. During the initial series, while the matador in part is performing for the crowd, he uses a fake sword (estoque simulado). This is made of wood or aluminum, making it lighter and much easier to handle. The estoque de verdad (real sword) is made out of steel. At the end of the tercio de muerte, when the matador has finished his faena, he will change swords to take up the steel one. He performs the estocada with the intent of piercing the heart of aorta or severing other major blood vessels to induce a quick death, if all goes according to plan. Often this does not happen and repeated efforts must be made to bring the bull down, sometimes the matador changing to the 'descabello', which resembles a sword, but is actually a heavy dagger blade at the end of a steel rod which is thrust between the cervical vertebrae to sever the spinal column and induce instant death. Even if the descabello is not required and the bull falls quickly from the sword one of the banderilleros will perform this function with an actual dagger to ensure the bull is dead. If the matador has performed particularly well, the crowd may petition the president by waving white handkerchiefs to award the matador an ear of the bull. If his performance was exceptional, the president will award two ears. In certain more rural rings, the practice includes an award of the bull's tail. Very rarely, if the public and the matador believe that the bull has fought extremely bravely – and the breeder of the bull agrees to have it return to the ranch – the event's president may grant the bull a pardon (indulto). If the indulto is granted, the bull's life is spared; it leaves the ring alive and is returned to its home ranch for treatment and then to become a semental, or seed-bull, for the rest of its life. First tercio: torero drawing a Verónica.   First tercio: matador making another kind of Verónica.   Second tercio: banderillero.   Third tercio: faena of muleta.   Third tercio: faena of muleta. Recortes[edit] See also: Bull-leaping Goya: The Speed and Daring of Juanito Apiñani in the Ring of Madrid 1815–16 (Tauromaquia, Νο. 20). Etching and aquatint Poster by Cândido de Faria for the silent film Course de taureaux à Séville (1907, Pathé Frères). Chromolithograph. EYE Film Institute Netherlands. Recortes, a style of bullfighting practiced in Navarre, La Rioja, north of Castile and Valencia, has been much less popular than the traditional corridas. But recortes have undergone a revival in Spain and are sometimes broadcast on TV. This style was common in the early 19th century. Etchings by painter Francisco de Goya depict these events. Recortes differ from a corrida in the following ways: The bull is not physically injured. Drawing blood is rare, and the bull is allowed to return to his pen at the end of the performance. The men are dressed in common street clothes rather than traditional bullfighting dress. Acrobatics are performed without the use of capes or other props. Performers attempt to evade the bull solely through the swiftness of their movements. Rituals are less strict, so the men have freedom to perform stunts as they please. Men work in teams but with less role distinction than in a corrida. Teams compete for points awarded by a jury. Since horses are not used, and performers are not professionals, recortes are less costly to produce. Comic bullfighting[edit] Comical spectacles based on bullfighting, called espectáculos cómico-taurinos or charlotadas, are still popular in Spain and Mexico. Troupes include El empastre or El bombero torero.[18] Encierros[edit] Main article: Running of the Bulls An encierro or running of the bulls is an activity related to a bullfighting fiesta. Before the events that are held in the ring, people (usually young men) run in front of a small group of bulls that have been let loose, on a course of a sectioned-off subset of a town's streets. Toro embolado[edit] Main article: Toro embolado A toro embolado (in Spanish), bou embolat (in Catalan), roughly meaning "bull with balls", is a festive activity held at night and typical of many towns in Spain (mainly in the Valencian Community and Southern Catalonia). Balls of flammable material are attached to a bull's horns. The balls are lit and the bull is set free in the streets at night; participants dodge the bull when it comes close. It can be considered a variant of an encierro (correbous in Catalan). This activity is held in a number of Spanish towns during their local festivals. In recent years, animal welfare activists have tried to stop the practice because of cruelty to the animal.[19][20][21][22] Portuguese[edit] Cavaleiro and bull Main article: Portuguese-style bullfighting Most Portuguese bullfights are held in two phases: the spectacle of the cavaleiro, and the pega. In the cavaleiro, a horseman on a Portuguese Lusitano horse (specially trained for the fights) fights the bull from horseback. The purpose of this fight is to stab three or four bandeiras (small javelins) into the back of the bull. In the second stage, called the pega ("holding"), the forcados, a group of eight men, challenge the bull directly without any protection or weapon of defence. The front man provokes the bull into a charge to perform a pega de cara or pega de caras (face grab). The front man secures the animal's head and is quickly aided by his fellows who surround and secure the animal until he is subdued.[23] Forcados are dressed in a traditional costume of damask or velvet, with long knitted hats as worn by the campinos (bull headers) from Ribatejo. The bull is not killed in the ring and, at the end of the corrida, leading oxen are let into the arena and two campinos on foot herd the bull among them back to its pen. The bull is usually killed out of sight of the audience by a professional butcher. It can happen that some bulls, after an exceptional performance, are healed, released to pasture until the end of their days and used for breeding. In the Portuguese Azores islands, there is a form of bullfighting called tourada à corda, in which a bull is led on a rope along a street, while players taunt and dodge the bull, who is not killed during or after the fight, but returned to pasture and used in later events. French[edit] The Roman amphitheatre at Arles being fitted for a corrida A bullfight in Arles in 1898. Since the 19th century, Spanish-style corridas have been increasingly popular in Southern France where they enjoy legal protection in areas where there is an uninterrupted tradition of such bull fights, particularly during holidays such as Whitsun or Easter. Among France's most important venues for bullfighting are the ancient Roman arenas of Nîmes and Arles, although there are bull rings across the South from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic coasts. Bullfights of this kind follow the Spanish tradition and even Spanish words are used for all Bullfighting related terms. Minor cosmetic differences exist such as music. This is not to be confused with the bloodless bullfights referred to below which are indigenous to France. A raseteur takes a rosette Course camarguaise (course libre)[edit] A more indigenous genre of bullfighting is widely common in the Provence and Languedoc areas, and is known alternately as "course libre" or "course camarguaise". This is a bloodless spectacle (for the bulls) in which the objective is to snatch a rosette from the head of a young bull. The participants, or raseteurs, begin training in their early teens against young bulls from the Camargue region of Provence before graduating to regular contests held principally in Arles and Nîmes but also in other Provençal and Languedoc towns and villages. Before the course, an abrivado—a "running" of the bulls in the streets—takes place, in which young men compete to outrun the charging bulls. The course itself takes place in a small (often portable) arena erected in a town square. For a period of about 15–20 minutes, the raseteurs compete to snatch rosettes (cocarde) tied between the bulls' horns. They do not take the rosette with their bare hands but with a claw-shaped metal instrument called a raset or crochet (hook) in their hands, hence their name. Afterwards, the bulls are herded back to their pen by gardians (Camarguais cowboys) in a bandido, amidst a great deal of ceremony. The stars of these spectacles are the bulls.[24] Course landaise[edit] Another type of French 'bullfighting' is the "course landaise", in which cows are used instead of bulls. This is a competition between teams named cuadrillas, which belong to certain breeding estates. A cuadrilla is made up of a teneur de corde, an entraîneur, a sauteur, and six écarteurs. The cows are brought to the arena in crates and then taken out in order. The teneur de corde controls the dangling rope attached to the cow's horns and the entraîneur positions the cow to face and attack the player. The écarteurs will try, at the last possible moment, to dodge around the cow and the sauteur will leap over it. Each team aims to complete a set of at least one hundred dodges and eight leaps. This is the main scheme of the "classic" form, the course landaise formelle. However, different rules may be applied in some competitions. For example, competitions for Coupe Jeannot Lafittau are arranged with cows without ropes. At one point, it resulted in so many fatalities that the French government tried to ban it, but had to back down in the face of local opposition. The bulls themselves are generally fairly small, much less imposing than the adult bulls employed in the corrida. Nonetheless, the bulls remain dangerous due to their mobility and vertically formed horns. Participants and spectators share the risk; it is not unknown for angry bulls to smash their way through barriers and charge the surrounding crowd of spectators. The course landaise is not seen as a dangerous sport by many, but écarteur Jean-Pierre Rachou died in 2003 when a bull's horn tore his femoral artery. Similar customs in other countries[edit] Tamil Nadu (India)[edit] Main article: Jallikattu A youth trying to take control of a bull at a Jallikattu Jallikattu is a traditional spectacle played in Tamil Nadu, India as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day. Bos indicus bulls are bred specifically for the sporting event and a specific breed of cattle bred for this purpose is known as "Jellicut".[25] During jallikattu, a bull is released into a group of people, and participants attempt to grab the bull's hump and hold onto it for a determined distance, length of time, or with the goal of taking a pack of money tied to the bull's horns. While the Spanish bullfighting climaxes in killing the bull, the idea of a seasoned Jallikattu player is to ensure the safety of the bull. Also, the bulls are loved and worshiped by the master, and the village as a whole. Anyone found trying to inflict pain on the bull, let alone killing it, can face severe penalty and punishment. United States[edit] Main article: Rodeo clown Bloodless horse bullfighting in which the lances are tipped with hook and loop fasteners (e.g. Velcro) and aimed at similar patches attached to the bull. Freestyle bullfighting is a style of bullfighting developed in American rodeo. The style was developed by the rodeo clowns who protect bull riders from being trampled or gored by an angry bull. Freestyle bullfighting is a 70-second competition in which the bullfighter (rodeo clown) avoids the bull by means of dodging, jumping and use of a barrel. Competitions are organized in the United States by Shorty Gorham's American Freestyle Bullfighting (AFB) and Bullfighters Only (BFO). A distinct type of bloodless bullfighting is practised in California's Central Valley. In this historically Portuguese-settled area, a form of bullfight has developed in which the bull is taunted by a matador, but the lances are tipped with Hook and loop fasteners (e.g. Velcro) and aimed at similar patches secured to the bull's shoulder. Fights occur from May through October around traditional Portuguese holidays.[26] American Freestyle Bullfighting was popularized throughout the 1980's and 90's with the Wrangler Bullfight Tour. Big-named rodeo clowns of the time (Skipper Voss, Wick Peth, Bob Donaldson, Rob Smets, Miles Hare) banded together and starred on the tour until the final event was held at the National Finals Rodeo in 2000. In 2015, Bullfighters Only (BFO) emerged as the revolutionary front of Freestyle Bullfighting. Bullfighters Aaron Ferguson and Dusty Tuckness, along with Joey Austin and Luke Kaufman, developed the popular series in late 2015 and the company has produced over 250 events since. The rules are simple - athletes have 60 seconds to pull off as many tricks as possible while maneuvering around and jumping over the bull. The more dangerous and stylish, the more points. Bullfighters also receive points for the ferocity of the bull. Tanzania[edit] Bullfighting was introduced by the Portuguese to Zanzibar and to Pemba Island, in modern Tanzania, where it is known as mchezo wa ngombe. Similar to the Portuguese Azorean tourada a corda, the bull is restrained by a rope, generally neither bull nor player is harmed, and the bull is not killed at the end of the fight.[27][28] Bull wrestling (bull against bull)[edit] Main article: Bull wrestling Tōgyū, or "Okinawan bullfighting", is a traditional sport of Japan. Bull wrestling, or bull fighting, is a bloodsport between bulls found in some parts of the world, such as in India (known as dhirio),[29] Japan (tōgyū),[30] Balkans (korida),[31] Turkey (boğa güreşi, literally "bull wrestling"),[32] Persian Gulf,[33][34] and Southeast Asia, in which the bulls lock horns (under varied rules). This form of bullfighting is also practiced in western Kenya. Hazards[edit] Death of the Picador – Francisco de Goya, c. 1793 Muerte del Maestro (Death of the Master) – José Villegas Cordero, 1884 Stuffed bull head in a bar in San Sebastián Spanish-style bullfighting is normally fatal for the bull, but it is also dangerous for the matador. Danger for the bullfighter is essential; if there is no danger, it is not considered bullfighting in Spain. Matadors are usually gored every season, with picadors and banderilleros being gored less often. With the discovery of antibiotics and advances in surgical techniques, fatalities are now rare, although over the past three centuries 534 professional bullfighters have died in the ring or from injuries sustained there. Most recently, Iván Fandiño died of injuries he sustained after being gored by a bull on June 17, 2017 in Aire-sur-l'Adour, France. Some matadors, notably Juan Belmonte, have been seriously gored many times: according to Ernest Hemingway, Belmonte's legs were marred by many ugly scars. A special type of surgeon has developed, in Spain and elsewhere, to treat cornadas, or horn-wounds. The bullring has a chapel where a matador can pray before the corrida, and where a priest can be found in case a sacrament is needed. The most relevant sacrament is now called "Anointing of the Sick"; it was formerly known as "Extreme Unction", or the "Last Rites". The media often reports the more horrific of bullfighting injuries, such as the September 2011 goring of matador Juan José Padilla's head by a bull in Zaragoza, resulting in the loss of his left eye, use of his right ear, and facial paralysis. He returned to bullfighting five months later with an eyepatch, multiple titanium plates in his skull, and the nickname 'The Pirate'.[35] Up through the early twentieth century, the horses were unprotected and were commonly gored and killed, or left close to death (intestines destroyed, for example). The horses used were old and worn-out, with little value. Starting in the twentieth century horses were protected by thick blankets and wounds, though not unknown, were less common and less serious. Cultural aspects[edit] This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Bullfighting" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Many supporters of bullfighting regard it as a deeply ingrained, integral part of their national cultures; in Spain it is called "La fiesta nacional", literally "the national festival". The aesthetic of bullfighting is based on the interaction of the man and the bull. Rather than a competitive sport, the bullfight is more of a ritual of ancient origin, which is judged by aficionados based on artistic impression and command. Ernest Hemingway said of it in his 1932 non-fiction book Death in the Afternoon: "Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter's honour." Bullfighting is seen as a symbol of Spanish culture.[36] The bullfight is regarded as a demonstration of style, technique and courage by its participants and as a demonstration of cruelty and cowardice by its critics. While there is usually no doubt about the outcome, the bull is not viewed by bullfighting supporters as a sacrificial victim — it is instead seen by the audience as a worthy adversary, deserving of respect in its own right. Those who oppose bullfighting maintain that the practice is a cowardly, sadistic tradition of torturing, humiliating and killing a bull amidst pomp and pageantry.[37] Supporters of bullfights, called "aficionados", claim they respect the bulls, that the bulls live better than other cattle, and that bullfighting is a grand tradition; a form of art important to their culture.[38] Women in bullfighting[edit] See also: List of female bullfighters Conchita Cintron was a Peruvian female bullfighter, perhaps the most famous in the history of bullfighting. Patricia McCormick began bullfighting as a professional Matadora in January 1952, and was the first American to do so.[39] Bette Ford was the first American woman to fight on foot in the Plaza México, the world's largest bullfight arena.[40] In 1974, Angela Hernandez (also known as Angela Hernandez Gomez and just Angela), of Spain, won a case in the Spanish Supreme Court allowing women to be bullfighters in Spain; a prohibition against women doing so was put in place in Spain in 1908.[41][42] Cristina Sánchez de Pablos, of Spain, was one of the first female bullfighters to gain prominence; she debuted as a bullfighter in Madrid on 13 February 1993. Popularity, controversy, and criticism[edit] Popularity[edit] In Spain, opposition to bullfighting is referred to as the antitaurino movement. Supporters of a ban on bullfighting remain a minority in Spain. About 30% of Spaniards actively follow bullfighting in Spain.[citation needed] Despite its slow decrease in popularity among younger generations, it remains a widespread cultural activity with millions of followers throughout the country. Polls have had mixed results over the years with wide fluctuations, although the last large poll done by the Spanish newspaper El Pais suggested only 37% of Spanish were fans of the spectacle, although other polls have also said 57% were against banning it.[43] Animal welfare[edit] Bull dying in a bullfight Part of a series on Animal rights Around the worldTimelineAnimal crueltyVeganismPrimate rights in research The Movement Advocates VegansGroups Aspects CensorshipKillingMutilationWild animalsConsumption DogsHorsesCatsCattleBloodsports BullfightingHuntingFishingAnimal testing CosmeticCaptivity ZoosCircusesOceanariumsCompanion animals Puppy millsAbandonment Ideas AbolitionismAnimal protectionismCarnismSentientismSpeciesism Related Human rights minority rightsDiscrimination  Animals portal vte Many people, including animal rights and animal welfare advocates, consider this a cruel, barbaric blood sport in which the bull suffers severe stress, and may ultimately end in a slow, torturous death.[44] A number of animal rights and animal welfare groups undertake anti-bullfighting actions in Spain and other countries. RSPCA assistant director for public affairs, David Bowles, said: "The RSPCA is strongly opposed to bullfighting. It is an inhumane and outdated practice that continues to lose support, including from those living in the countries where this takes place such as Spain, Portugal and France."[45] Bullfighting guide The Bulletpoint Bullfight warns that bullfighting is "not for the squeamish", advising spectators to "Be prepared for blood." The guide details prolonged and profuse bleeding caused by horse-mounted lancers; the charging by the bull of a blindfolded, armored horse who is "sometimes doped up, and unaware of the proximity of the bull"; the placing of barbed darts by banderilleros; followed by the matador's fatal sword thrust. The guide stresses that these procedures are a normal part of bullfighting and that death is rarely instantaneous. The guide further warns those attending bullfights to "Be prepared to witness various failed attempts at killing the animal before it lies down."[46] Alexander Fiske-Harrison, has argued that the fact that the bull lives three times as long as other cattle reared for meat and is reared wild in meadow and forest should be considered when weighing its impact on animal welfare. He has also speculated that the adrenalizing nature of the 30 minute spectacle (per bull) for the animal may arguably reduce the suffering even below that of the stress and anxiety of queuing in the abattoir.[47][48] However, according to a trained zoologist, Jordi Casamitjana, the bulls do experience a high degree of suffering and "all aspects of any bullfight, from the transport to the death, are in themselves causes of suffering."[49] Funding[edit] A ticket stub from 1926 The question of public funding is particularly controversial in Spain, since widely disparaged claims have been made by supporters and opponents of bullfighting. According to government figures, bullfighting in Spain generates €1600 million a year and 200,000 jobs, 57,000 of which are directly linked to the industry. Furthermore, bullfighting is the cultural activity which generates the most tax revenue for the Spanish state (€45 million in VAT and over €12 million in social security). Critics often claim that bullfighting is financed with public money. However, despite bullfighting involving around 25 million spectators annually, it represents just 0.01% of those state subsidies allocated to cultural activities, and always under 3% of the cultural budget of regional, provincial and local authorities. The bulk of subsidies are paid by local town halls where there is a historical tradition and support for bullfighting and related events, which are often held without charge to participants and spectators. The European Union does not subsidize bullfighting but it does subsidize cattle farming in general, which also benefits those who rear Spanish fighting bulls.[50] In 2015, 438 of 687 Members of the European Parliament (MEP) voted in favour of amending the 2016 E.U. budget to indicate that the "Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) appropriations or any other appropriations from the budget should not be used for the financing of lethal bullfighting activities".[51] Politics[edit] In the late 19th and early 20th century, some Spanish regeneracionista intellectuals protested against what they called the policy of pan y toros ("bread and bulls"), an analogue of Roman panem et circenses promoted by politicians to keep the populace content in its oppression. Such belief was part of the wider current of thought known as anti-flamenquismo whereby they simultaneously campaigned against the popularity of both bullfighting and flamenco music, which they believed to be "oriental" elements of Spanish culture which were responsible for Spain's backwardness as compared to the rest of Europe. In Francoist Spain, bullfights were supported by the state as something genuinely Spanish, as the fiesta nacional, so that bullfights became associated with the regime and, for this reason, many thought they would decline after the transition to democracy, but this did not happen. The government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was the first to be more opposed to bullfighting, prohibiting children under 14 from attending and limiting or prohibiting the broadcast of bullfights on national TV, although the latter measure was reversed after his party lost the elections in 2011. Nevertheless, his party is overall not opposed to bullfighting and anti-bullfighting measures have only been passed in municipalities where it governs in coalition with the far-left party Podemos which has taken a clearer anti-bullfighting stance. However, even Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias has recently stated that even though he is opposed to it, he would not ban bullfighting if his party came to power. Despite its long history in Barcelona, in 2010 bullfighting was outlawed across the Catalonia region, following a campaign led by an animal rights civic platform called "Prou!" ("Enough!" in Catalan). Critics have argued that the ban was motivated by issues of Catalan separatism and identity politics.[52] In October 2016, the Constitutional Court ruled that the regional Catalan Parliament did not have competence to ban any kinds of spectacle that are legal in Spain. The Spanish Royal Family is divided on the issue, from the Former Queen Consort of Spain, Sofía of Spain who does not hide her dislike for bullfights;[53] to the former King Juan Carlos who occasionally presides over a bullfight from the royal box as part of his official duties;[54][55][56] to their daughter Princess Elena who is well known for her liking of bullfights and who often accompanies the king in the presiding box or attends privately in the general seating.[57] Pro-bullfighting supporters include the former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his party (Partido Popular), as well as most leaders of the major left-leaning opposition PSOE Party, including former Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez and the current Presidents of Andalusia, Extremadura and Castilla–La Mancha. Nevertheless, former PSOE Prime Minister Zapatero was more lukewarm towards the Fiesta, and under his government there was a 6-year ban on live bullfights broadcast on the state-run national TV channel. This has been lifted since his government was voted out in 2011. Live bullfights are shown at the traditional 6 p.m. time on TVE as of September 2012.[58] Religion[edit] Bullfighting has been seen as intertwined with religion and religious folklore in Spain at a popular level, particularly in the areas where it is most popular.[59][60] Bullfighting events and festivities are as a rule celebrated as a core (yet profane) element of religious festivities celebrating local patron saints, always alongside a range of other festive activities. On the other hand, the bullfighting world is also inextricably linked to religious iconography involved with religious devotion in Spain, with bullfighters seeking the protection of various virgins and often being members of religious brotherhoods.[61][62] Media prohibitions[edit] State-run Spanish TVE had cancelled live coverage of bullfights in August 2007 until September 2012, claiming that the coverage was too violent for children who might be watching, and that live coverage violated a voluntary, industry-wide code attempting to limit "sequences that are particularly crude or brutal".[63] In October 2008, in a statement to Congress, Luis Fernández, the President of Spanish State Broadcaster TVE, confirmed that the station will no longer broadcast live bullfights due to the high cost of production and a rejection of the events by advertisers. However the station will continue to broadcast Tendido Cero, a bullfighting magazine programme.[64] Having the national Spanish TV stop broadcasting it, after 50 years of history, was considered a big step towards its abolition. Nevertheless, other regional and private channels keep broadcasting it with good audiences.[65] The former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his government lifted the ban on live bullfights being shown on TVE and live bullfights are now shown at the traditional 6 p.m. time on TVE as of September 2012.[58] A television station in Costa Rica stopped the broadcast of bullfights in January 2008, on the grounds that they were too violent for minors.[66] Declaration as cultural patrimony[edit] A growing list of Spanish and South American cities and regions have started to formally declare their celebrations of bullfighting part of their protected cultural patrimony. Most of these declarations have come into place as a counter-reaction in the aftermath of the 2010 ban in Catalonia.[67] As of April 2012, the latest addition to this list is the Andalusian city of Seville.[68] Bans[edit] Pre-20th century[edit] Plaza de toros de Acho in Lima, Peru—the oldest bullring in South America, dating back to 1766 In November 1567, Pope Pius V issued a papal bull titled De Salute Gregis and forbidding fighting of bulls and any other beasts as the voluntary risk to life endangered the soul of the combatants, but it was abolished eight years later by his successor, Pope Gregory XIII, at the request of King Philip II. Bullfighting was introduced in Uruguay in 1776 by Spain and abolished by Uruguayan law in February 1912. Bullfighting was also introduced in Argentina by Spain, but after Argentina's independence, the event drastically diminished in popularity and was abolished in 1899 under law 2786.[69] Bullfighting was present in Cuba during its colonial period, but was abolished by the United States military under the pressure of civic associations right after the Spanish–American War in 1901.[70] Bullfighting was also banned for a period in Mexico in 1890; consequently some Spanish bullfighters moved to the United States to transfer their skills to the American rodeos.[71] During the 18th and 19th centuries, bullfighting in Spain was banned at several occasions[citation needed] (for instance by Philip V), but always reinstituted later by other governments. Bullfighting had some popularity in the Philippines during Spanish rule, though foreign commentators derided the quality of local bulls and toreros.[72][73] Bullfighting was noted in the Philippines as early as 1619, when it was among the festivities in celebration of Pope Urban III's authorisation of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.[74] Following the Spanish–American War, the Americans suppressed the custom in the Philippines under the tenure of Governor General Leonard Wood, and it was replaced with a now-popular Filipino sport, basketball.[75] 20th century onwards[edit] vte Worldwide laws regarding bullfighting    Bullfighting in banned nationally    Bullfighting is partially banned1    Bullfighting is legal    Unknown 1the laws vary internally or bloodless bullfights / corridas are still legal Bullfighting is now banned in many countries; people taking part in such activity would be liable for terms of imprisonment for animal cruelty. "Bloodless" variations, though, are often permitted and have attracted a following in California, Texas, and France.[76] In southern France, however, the traditional form of the corrida still exists and it is protected by French law. However, in June 2015 the Paris Court of Appeals removed bullfighting/"la corrida" from France's cultural heritage list.[77][78][79] While it is not very popular in Texas, bloodless forms of bullfighting occur at rodeos in small Texas towns.[80] In 1991, the Canary Islands became the first Spanish Autonomous Community to ban bullfighting,[52] when they legislated to ban spectacles that involve cruelty to animals, with the exception of cockfighting, which is traditional in some towns in the Islands;[81] bullfighting was never popular in the Canary Islands. Some supporters of bullfighting and even Lorenzo Olarte Cullen,[82] Canarian head of government at the time, have argued that the fighting bull is not a "domestic animal" and hence the law does not ban bullfighting.[83] The absence of spectacles since 1984 would be due to lack of demand. In the rest of Spain, national laws against cruelty to animals have abolished most blood sports, but specifically exempt bullfighting. Several cities around the world (especially in Catalonia) have symbolically declared themselves to be Anti-Bullfighting Cities, including Barcelona in 2006. Galicia[edit] In Galicia, bullfighting has been banned in many cities by the local governments.[citation needed] Bullfighting has never had an important following in the region.[84] Catalonia[edit] Main article: Ban on bullfighting in Catalonia Wikinews has related news: Bull fighting banned in Catalonia On 18 December 2009, the parliament of Catalonia, one of Spain's seventeen Autonomous Communities, approved by majority the preparation of a law to ban bullfighting in Catalonia, as a response to a popular initiative against bullfighting that gathered more than 180,000 signatures.[85] On 28 July 2010, with the two main parties allowing their members a free vote, the ban was passed 68 to 55, with 9 abstentions. This meant Catalonia became the second Community of Spain (first was Canary Islands in 1991), and the first on the mainland, to ban bullfighting. The ban took effect on 1 January 2012, and affects only the one remaining functioning Catalan bullring, the Plaza de toros Monumental de Barcelona.[52][86] It does not affect the correbous, a traditional game of the Ebro area (south of Catalonia) where lighted flares are attached to a bull's horns. The correbous are seen mainly in the municipalities in the south of Tarragona, with the exceptions of a few other towns in other provinces of Catalonia. The name correbous is essentially Catalan and Valencian; in other parts of Spain they have other names.[87] There is a movement to revoke the ban in the Spanish congress, citing the value of bullfighting as "cultural heritage". The proposal is backed by the majority of parliamentarians.[88] In October 2016 the Spanish Constitutional Court ruled that the regional Catalan Parliament has no competence to ban any kind of spectacle that is legal in Spain.[89] Costa Rica[edit] In Costa Rica the law prohibits the killing of bulls and other animals in public and private shows.[90] However, there are still bullfights at the end and beginning of the year that are televised from Palmares and Zapote. Volunteers confront a bull in a ring and try to provoke him into charging and then run away. In a December 2016 survey, 46.4% of respondents wanted to outlaw bullfights while 50.1% thought they should continue.[91] Los Toros a la Tica as they are called does not include spears or any other device to harm the bull. Ecuador[edit] Ecuador staged bullfights to the death for over three centuries due to being a former Spanish colony. On 12 December 2010, Ecuador's president Rafael Correa announced that in an upcoming referendum, the country would be asked whether to ban bullfighting;[92][93][94] in the referendum, held in May 2011, the Ecuadorians agreed on banning the final killing of the bull that happens in a corrida.[95] This means the bull is no longer killed before the public, and is instead taken back inside the barn to be killed at the end of the event. The other parts of the corrida are still performed the same way as before in the cities that celebrate it.[96] This part of the referendum is applied on a regional level, meaning that in regions where the population voted against the ban, which are the same regions where bullfighting is celebrated the most, killing the animal publicly in the bullfighting plaza is still performed. The main bullfighting celebration of the country, the Fiesta Brava in Quito was still allowed to take place in December 2011 after the referendum under these new rules.[97] Mexico[edit] Bullfighting has been banned in four Mexican states: Sonora in 2013, Guerrero in 2014, Coahuila in 2015[98], and Quintana Roo in 2019[99]. Portugal[edit] Bullfighting was forbidden in several areas in Portugal, such as Viana do Castelo. In 2009, the mayor has claimed the city as the first "anti-bullfighting city" in Portugal when it was forbidden the use of the bullring for those activities.[100] India[edit] Main article: Jallikattu See also: 2017 pro-jallikattu protests Jallikattu, a type of bull-taming or bull-riding event is practiced in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A bull is released into a crowd of people and participants attempt to grab the bull's hump and either hold on for a determined distance, length of time, or with the goal of liberating a packet of money tied to the bull's horns. The practice was banned in 2014 by India's Supreme Court over concerns that bulls are sometimes mistreated prior to jallikattu events. Animal welfare investigations into the practice revealed that some bulls are poked with sticks and scythes, some have their tails twisted, some are force-fed alcohol to disorient them, and in some cases chili powder and other irritants are applied to bulls' eyes and genitals to agitate the animals.[101] The 2014 ban was suspended and reinstated several times over the years. In January 2017, the Supreme Court upheld their previous ban and various protests arose in response. Due to these protests, on 21 January 2017, the Governor of Tamil Nadu issued a new ordinance that authorized the continuation of jallikattu events.[102] On 23 January 2017 the Tamil Nadu legislature passed a bi-partisan bill, with the accession of the Prime Minister, exempting jallikattu from the Prevention of Cruelity to Animals Act (1960).[103] As of January 2017 Jallikattu is legal in Tamil Nadu,[104] but another organization may challenge the mechanism by which it was legalized,[105] as the Animal Welfare Board of India claims that the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly does not have the power to override Indian federal law, meaning that the state law could possibly once again be nullified and jallikattu banned.[106][107] The United States[edit] Bullfighting was outlawed in California in 1957, but the law was amended due to protests from the Portuguese community in Gustine.[108] Lawmakers determined that a form of "bloodless" bullfighting would be allowed to continue, in affiliation with certain Christian holidays. Though the bull is not killed as with traditional bullfighting, it is still intentionally irritated and provoked and its horns are shaved down to prevent injury to people and other animals present in the ring, but serious injuries still can and do occur and spectators are also at risk.[109][110] Alcohol is often consumed. The Humane Society of the United States has expressed opposition to bullfighting in all its forms since at least 1981.[111] See also[edit] Arenas: Bullrings of the world People: Rodeo clown List of bullfighters Ordóñez (bullfighter family) Romero (bullfighter family) CAS International, Committee against bullfighting Animals: Andalusian horse Spanish Fighting Bull, bull breed used for fighting Iberian horse Lusitano, horse breed used in bullfighting Miura, a bull breed Styles of bullfighting: Picador and rejoneador, two Spanish styles of horse mounted bullfighting Cow fighting, different practices in the world Running of the Bulls, running event usually in the morning of the bullfight Jallikattu, unarmed bull-taming in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Bull wrestling, bull against bull Literature and films: The opera Carmen features a bullfighter as a major character, a well-known song about him, and a bullfight off-stage at the climax. Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías ("Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías", 1935), a poem by Federico García Lorca. The Dangerous Summer, Ernest Hemingway's chronicle of the bullfighting rivalry between Luis Miguel Dominguín and his brother-in-law Antonio Ordóñez Death in the Afternoon, Ernest Hemingway's treatise on Spanish bullfighting Bullfighter from Brooklyn, Matador Sidney Franklin's autobiography The Sun Also Rises, a novel by Ernest Hemingway, includes many accounts of bullfighting. Into The Arena: The World Of The Spanish Bullfight, book by Alexander Fiske-Harrison about his time in Spain as an aficionado in 2009 and as a bullfighter in 2010. Shadow of a Bull, book by Maia Wojciechowska about a bullfighter's son, Manolo Olivar The Story of a Matador, David L. Wolper's 1962 documentary about the life of the matador Jaime Bravo Around the World in 80 Days included scenes of Cantinflas bullfighting in Chinchón. Talk to Her, film by Pedro Almodóvar, contains subplot concerning female matador who is gored during a bullfight. The director was criticized for shooting footage of a bull being actually killed during a bullfight staged especially for the film. Fiesta, a 1947 film starring Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalbán as a sister and brother bullfighters. (Montalbán portrayed a bullfighter in the 1943 film Santa and the 1945 The Hour of Truth. In 1976 Montalbán was in the Columbo murder mystery "A Matter of Honor" guest starring as a retired bullfighter/killer). The Brave One Ferdinand, film starring John Cena as Ferdinand the bull who tells the other bulls that every bull gets killed in the bullfight just like his father (Jeremy Sisto), who never returned. Mexican Joyride, a cartoon in which Daffy Duck takes a trip to Mexico and attends a bullfight, during which the bull turns him into the matador Bully for Bugs, a cartoon in which Bugs Bunny burrows into a bullfight and becomes the matador For Whom the Bull Toils, a cartoon in which Goofy is mistaken for a skilled matador after unwittingly conquering a bull while touring Mexico. Bolero, romantic drama featuring rejoneo as a central theme. The Three Stooges filmed at least two comedies involving the Stooges as bullfighters Others Ban on bullfighting in Catalonia Pasodoble Lamborghini An Italian Supercar manufacturer who names their cars after Spanish Fighting Bulls. **** The acclaimed sculptor and painter Uri Lifshitz, 75, died yesterday at his home in Tel Aviv after a battle with cancer. Lifshitz, one of Israel's most prominent artists during the 1960s and '70s, exhibited very little in the past few years. His reclusive lifestyle and extreme political statements are thought to have kept both the Israel Prize and a comprehensive retrospective of his work beyond his reach. "No other Israeli artist was so central for so many years to artists, critics and the public," Yair Garbuz, former head of Hamidrasha, the art school of Beit Berl College, and a close friend of Lifshitz, told Haaretz yesterday. Garbuz said there was a time when Lifshitz, who had no formal training in art, gave up the recognition he deserved as a member of New Horizons, the groundbreaking lyrical abstract school of artists that also included Igael Tumarkin and Rafi Lavie, among others. "Later, when he wanted to return to that central place, he might not have been able to," Garbuz said. Lifshitz dismissed critics of his later works who called him a has-been. He was awarded the Tel Aviv Museum of Art's Kolb Prize in 1965, and received the Dizengoff Prize in 1985. Lifshitz lived and worked in a studio in Tel Aviv's Neve Tzedek neighborhood with his youngest son, the artist Nadav Lifshitz. Uri Lifshitz is survived by seven children from three marriages. He will be laid to rest today at Kibbutz Givat Hashlosha, where he was born. Uri Lifschitz (Hebrew: אורי ליפשיץ‎)‎ (1936-2011) was an Israeli painter.[1] Uri Lifschitz was born on Kibbutz Givat HaShlosha. He served in the Israel Defense Force paratrooper Unit 101 under Ariel Sharon. He began painting in the 1950s. In the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the founders of the 10 Plus group which posed an alternative to the lyrical abstract style of the New Horizons movement.[2] Awards and recognition Lifschitz won the Eugen Kolb Prize from the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 1965, the Erasmus Prize in 1966 and the Dizengoff Prize in 1985.[2] In a 2008 documentary about him, artist-sculptor Uri Lifshitz predicts on camera that he will be dead in three years' time. "Seventy-five is enough for me." It will soon be two years since he passed away - at that age. Filmmaker Nurit Kedar's latest effort focuses on Lifshitz, his art and the void he has left behind. Yuval Cohen's 2008 film on the subject of myths and memory in Lifshitz's work was called "Man at Work," but Kedar's new movie - which was produced for Channel 1 and premiered recently at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, as part of the EPOS International Art Film festival - is simply titled "Uri Lifshitz." "That's me in the coffin," Lifshitz says, pointing at one of the paintings in his studio, in a scene appearing toward the end of Kedar's film. It is a dark and elongated canvas, one in a series of death-related paintings, dark and even brutal, which depict in extremis his own burial process. "Scary?" asks his niece Hila Regev-Chen, who shot that part of the film about six years ago. "Once you get used to it, it's great. It doesn't hurt. I don't feel it at all," he says. In the next scene in "Uri Lifshitz," we see his widow Dorit, who is seen seated in front of the camera, and in a manner characteristic neither of her nor of him, reveals an intimate memory from among his final moments. "I went up to him and asked him if he can feel me, if he can hear me. He said to me, 'You are the most beautiful today.' Those were his last words." Those are also the last words in Kedar's film, which closes with a photograph shot by artist Dror Karta from afar: Lifshitz, a week before he died, working on his final painting. Uri Lifshitz, born in 1936 on Kibbutz Givat Hashlosha, died on May 28, 2011. He was self-taught, and never completed art studies. In the army he served in the legendary paratrooper Unit 101 alongside the likes of Meir Har-Zion and Ariel Sharon, the unit's commander. He began to paint in the 1950s while he still lived on the kibbutz, and was very successful in terms of critical acclaim. In the '60s and '70s, he was among the founders of the "10 Plus" group, along with Raffi Lavie, Buky Schwartz, Siona Shimshi and others, who formulated an alternative to the lyrical abstract style of the New Horizons movement that had dominated local art up until that time. Over the years, Lifshitz had many exhibitions in Israel and abroad, and his works are also in major private and museum collections here. He won a Eugen Kolb Prize from the Tel Aviv Museum of Art (1965 ), an Erasmus Prize (1966 ) and the Dizengoff Prize (1985 ). His first solo show was held in Tel Aviv at the Ekked Gallery in 1961, while his first solo museum exhibition was at the Israel Museum in 1969, curated by Yona Fischer, followed a year later by a show at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. In addition, his work was showcased, among other venues, at the Sao Paulo Biennial and the Whitechapel Gallery in London. In Israel he worked alternately with the Givon, Bineth and Gordon galleries. He is known for his expressive paintings, the use he made in his work of newspaper photos of Israeli reality - for example, in the series that dealt with the trial of Yigal Amir, Yitzhak Rabin's murderer; presidents; judges; the evils of the occupation - and more. He also created countless engravings and bronze sculptures. Kedar's film runs 70 minutes. It is not a narrative in the least; it does not chart the artist's life chronologically. It does not supply biographical and personal details other than ones that arise in conversations with Lifshitz, such as about his memories from the kibbutz, his relationships with his parents and with his daughter Yasmin, who died of cancer in her 30's. Both of his ex-wives, the children he had with them, and his brother and his sister are absent from the story, as are many art world figures who filled some sort of role or another in the artist's career. The film has no subtitles, not even the names of those interviewed in it. Young viewers may not recognize the writer Yoram Kaniuk, who was Lifshitz's close friend for years; retired Supreme Court Justice Meir Shamgar, who inspired an entire series of paintings; or the photographer Ziv Koren, who spent about a year with Lifshitz in 2002 working on "Stones and Flags," a collaborative project featuring Lifshitz paintings based on Koren's photos from the second intifada. The emphasis in the new film is therefore on his art and its creation - his drive, work processes and the works themselves. Hundreds of the latter are seen here in still photographs taken by the director, one after another, both from up close and from a distance. "Uri Lifshitz," which is accompanied by an original soundtrack composed by the musician Avi Balali, another friend of Lipschitz's, was largely shot in the artist's studio. Whether we are talking about materials the director photographed herself or those supplied by other people who also contributed to the film - among them Eyal Geffen, Eldad Ziv, Zvi Shissel, Eado Zuckerman - everything takes place within the walls of the studio. "That was the only thing that I knew I wanted," Kedar says. "I don't go outside the studio. Physically and metaphorically. This is his world. You want to know who Uri Lifshitz is, you encounter him in the studio." The return to the studio was not easy for those who were close to him - for Shamgar, Koren and Kaniuk, and certainly his immediate family: Dorit, 55, and the couple's son Nadav, 26, an artist who worked alongside his father during his final years. "It took us a really long time to go back there. It was really hard," Dorit Lifshitz says in a recent interview with Haaretz. "Over the years I was in the studio a lot. We were in a tight and close-knit relationship, I was always involved. Uri involved me in everything. And coming to the studio when he's gone was a huge crisis." 'Outside the discourse' Lifshitz's studio is on the corner of Eilat and Abarbanel streets in south Tel Aviv, a short distance from the family home in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood. The studio actually takes up an entire three-story building, which the artist and his wife bought more than 20 years ago. The first floor is where most of Lifshitz's sculptures are stored , the second one holds unframed works such as collages, paintings, drawings and etchings, and the third and largest floor contains a spacious work area that also houses large oil paintings. Last year several groups of visitors came to the studio to learn about Lifshitz's work, his widow says. The family hopes to open the studio to the public someday. "When we tidied up the premises, we went through every piece of paper," Dorit Lifshitz explains. "He was very orderly, but wasn't really into documentation, and over the years we went along with him; he thought it was a waste of time. I think he was mistaken. We spread everything in the studio out before Nurit: the early works, the ambience he created in the studio throughout the years. She sensed it, too. To sit in the studio is not like sitting outdoors. You could practically smell him, hear the music he listened to there," she adds. Kedar's decision to film in the studio was made the first time she visited there. She had approached Lifshitz at a social event a year before he died, and told him she would like to make a documentary about him. A few days later she arrived at the studio with a small camcorder. "I walked in and I was in shock," Kedar recalls. "The amount of work. I go up three stories and there are more and more of them. You've never seen anything like it. I remember asking him how many paintings he had, and he said 2,400. I didn't believe it. I didn't understand. I mean, here is a man who received awards and exhibited plenty. And then I understood that something had happened [in his final decades]: He had disappeared." Infinite. I have 700 engravings. Rembrandt had 500." Lifshitz himself says in the movie: "Since 1970 I have not had a show at the two museums [at the Israel Museum and Tel Aviv Museum]. There was one show in '69, one in '70." Kedar asks if that pains him, and he replies that it does: It hurts that the works are not being seen. "Obviously everyone wants to get feedback," his widow explains. The only name from the local art world that is mentioned in the film is that of the late Prof. Mordechai Omer, the longtime director of the Tel Aviv Museum, who she says scheduled three meetings with Lifshitz and did not show up for a single one. "Uri - and I will say this as clearly as possible - was outside the discourse," she continues. "That is a fact. A lot of that was his doing. Uri was the most candid man I know. Sometimes this was to his benefit and sometimes not. Aside from the social sensitivity that guided the work itself, one of the things he insisted on was to be free. He didn't do so from a desire to be blunt, but because of the desire for creative freedom." What do you mean? "Uri, fully consciously or with complete lack of awareness, removed himself from every framework that he thought would not allow him the freedom of work that he needed. And I'm not talking only about artistic work and frameworks; we are also talking about social and familial frameworks. To leave a family with children twice is not an easy matter. Fortunately for me, we had a framework in which he remained for many years. It isn't always easy living alongside a man like that, and I'm not complaining for a moment. But for it all to last so many years, and with the way that we loved each other, like on the first day we met - that is something." Do you think he received the recognition he deserved? "He didn't get into that. He really didn't deal with that. The values of success customary in Israeli society and in the local art field were not valid in Uri's eyes, and did not interest him. Uri did not seek connections, nor was he afraid to place pieces everywhere. To the contrary, there was always criticism of where he chose to exhibit. The last exhibition he had at a highly regarded gallery was in the '80s at Gordon Gallery." When Lifshitz left the kibbutz in 1967 following his first divorce, he moved to Tel Aviv and gravitated toward such artists, writers and musicians as Amos Kenan, Dahn Ben-Amotz, Shmulik Kraus and others - all notorious for the sometimes-outrageous things they said and their sexist behavior, drinking habits and so on. Many remember Lifshitz's own provocative statements regarding people with disabilities, women, Mizrahim (Jews of Middle Eastern and North African origins ) and gays. A short time after his death, the artist Yair Garbuz said of Lifshitz: "There isn't another Israeli artist who was so central for so long among artists, critics and a broad public. But since his success in the '60s and '70s, things happened, whether intended by him or not, that excluded him from the world of art in Israel. There was a time when he waived the recognition he was accorded and disdained it or avoided it, and later on when he wanted to return to a more central position, it seems that he did not exactly succeed." Art historian and curator Dr. Gideon Efrat says that Lifshitz's peak as an artist came at his exhibitions at the Gordon Gallery: the first in 1972, and the second - a double show in the gallery's two premises at the time - in 1985. After that his standing began to deteriorate. Nevertheless, Efrat contends rightly that no matter what happened in the last 20 years and what the nature of Lifshitz's relationship had been with the core of the art world - it is impossible to deny what he had: "tremendous talent, an impressive hand, an extraordinary ability to sketch in color, in pencil, and engravings. He blazed a trail and created important work in the history of Israeli art." If Lifshitz is excluded or forgotten when it comes to historical exhibitions and purchasing for permanent collections, because of his personality or his later work - that would be a very serious omission, adds Efrat: "Curators and historians must reconsider the place, importance and contribution of Uri Lifshitz, one of the most important painters of the '60s and '70s." 'Values, identity, society' Curator Galia Bar-Or, director of the Museum of Art, Ein Harod, declines to discuss Lifshitz's personality as something that pushed the public and people in the local art arena away. "To deal with personality is an evasion," she argues. "My impression was that his power was preserved throughout, inasmuch as [his work] reflected tendencies that developed in Israeli society. He attacked current situations in a direct manner and his works reflected a severity in terms of values, identity, the nature of society - the blatant violence, fascism and other things that arise not only from the imagery in the works but also from their materials and the way they are combined. That did not go down well with the refined art circle, the inner circle, which wasn't concerned with grappling with current events." Lifshitz's widow says she met the artist by chance. She was 22, he was 44. "I went to visit a bar belonging to friends and he showed up. From that day onward, we were inseparable," recalls Dorit Lifshitz during her interview with Haaretz. "In the beginning I worked in my family's business, and after a while he told me that if we're together, then it didn't suit him that I wake up and leave. And from then on we were together all day, 24 hours a day, for years. We thought, felt, did and even didn't do things - all together." She says that when they first met, she did not know who he was. When she learned he was a painter, her reaction was: '"Wow, what a wonderful thing. You will paint and I will sit beside you and you will paint me!' I fantasized. And then he told me that he wasn't that kind of painter. And he was even more blunt and, don't tell anybody this, said 'Get out of my car. I'm not that kind of painter'" - as she recounts in the film. Despite this, Lifshitz did create numerous portraits of her. "The sexiest painting he ever did was of Bathsheba taking off her dress. And I was very jealous. And he painted me like that too," she says. In another portrait that is seen in Kedar's film, Dorit Lifshitz is depicted sitting on a mattress in Puerto Rico, where the couple traveled for a while during Nadav's childhood, which "was an amazing period. He did several paintings of me then." In their first four years together, they lived in his studio, which was much smaller than the present one. There Dorit Lifshitz "tiptoed around," she says, "but when we moved into this house, I began arranging however I liked. Uri was not home and I hung up his works which I loved so." In their shared life he concentrated on making art, and she - on all the rest: "From the day I met Uri he was never concerned with money. Didn't keep track of bills, didn't know what expenditures there were and what income, nothing. He would spend money on materials for sculptures, sometimes more, sometimes less, and I had to deal with it and I always did it with enormous love. He would always say about the money, 'The sculptures are your shares.'" What did Dorit Lifshitz learn from the relationship? "This will sound irrational to you, but I learned about concessions and giving," she replies. "We both had that. We didn't discuss it, but we knew. Uri would forgo things, or more accurately let himself go ... He told me that if someone annoys me or fights me - let it go." She and her son, she says, "lived" the art with Lifshitz. "This little family of mine and Nadav's, and the extended family too - Uri's six children - we lived it. Everything revolved around his art." Nonetheless, she maintains, "no one felt that this came at his expense." Lifshitz would get up each morning, prepare coffee for two. "That was the only thing he did in the house; other than that he did nothing," his widow comments, with humor and warmth. He would read the paper, cut and tear out images, and go paint in the studio. "If heaven forbid I threw out that day's newspaper, an argument would erupt, among the few we would have," she says, adding, however, "there wasn't a painting that he wouldn't finish and call me up at home and say: 'Come see.' Every time anew, it would make me feel like I was in the clouds." Even though he used to spend long hours in the studio, during which he not only painted but also read, wrote and thought - he was indeed a family man, Dorit says. "Look how many paintings he painted of the children, the family, the grandchildren and me. It moved him to be a father. Seven kids - the number alone is moving. He never said, 'I don't have time, I'm working, busy or I can't.' Kids were the holy of holies to Uri." No real successors A striking section of Kedar's documentary concerns his relationship with his late daughter Yasmin. He describes his helplessness as a father in the face of her incurable illness. Lifshitz talks about their conversations, about his attempts to find help for her, about his inability to give up. He also had a special and different relationship with his youngest son. "Nadav did not choose to paint," his mother says, "he grew into it. We went all over the world with him. When Uri gave up a wall in his studio and cleared it for him, it moved me to death - that Nadav would be working there, and not carrying on [his father's] path but rather in his own way." She goes on to say that Lifshitz's main influences were Velasquez, Goya, Cezanne, Rembrandt. In Israel he held Igael Tumarkin in high regard; many also compared the two, in terms of their artwork and also personality. He esteemed and maintained a years-long friendship with the Jerusalem-based painter Ivan Schwebel. He also had an appreciation for Aviva Uri; there are some similarities in their expressive and tempestuous drawings. Although Lifshitz did not have exhibitions at museums, and distanced himself - and simultaneously was distanced from - the central arena of local art, he did not stop following what was going on. Every Friday he would tour galleries. It is hard to think of artists who could be deemed his successors, particularly inasmuch as he never taught after being fired from Bezalel in the 1970s. Today, Dorit Lifshitz says, it is especially hard for her to look at his works, which she knows inside and out: "Looking at them when he is gone tears you apart. The man who knew how to love in the biggest way, to give the biggest hug, who had his own social sensibility, sexiness, charm and also aggressiveness - all of that was mine for so many years, but not enough. [I feel] a sense of pride tempered by a deep sadness that it's over." Lifshitz, she adds, repeatedly stated that one of the most important series he did was "Hadibuk," which depict the exorcism of a dybbuk, a malicious spirit in Jewish folklore. It was inspired by a 1998 article by Neri Livneh in the weekend supplement of Haaretz, which presented him in a critical, unflattering and, according to his widow, absolutely inaccurate light. "It hurt him greatly," she says. The hard-hitting and expressive series is seen at length in the film, and Lifshitz also talks about it, without revealing his reason for making it. He only says that it was the first time he had allowed himself and his feelings to enter into his work. His widow, for her part, has this to say about the article: "All sorts of things were written that were taken out of context, among them that a woman's role is to provide services, and other stuff about people with disabilities, and that isn't what he really thought. It did not reflect his morals. He had the highest human morality possible. After he realized that he had suffered terribly, and was afraid people wouldn't want his works, he exorcised the dybbuk. After a time, he said that it seemed to him that he would not have got to where he did in his life and work had it not been for that article." Dorit Lifshitz now lives alone in the Neveh Tzedek home. It is a spacious place, with a high ceilings and especially big, open spaces. Uri Lifshitz is present on every wall and in every corner. Numerous sculptures stand on the floor or elsewhere; there is an abundance of large oil paintings, drawings and mixed media artwork on the walls; clay and ceramic pieces are scattered around the house; there are two glass tables whose decorated metal legs he designed, and a great deal more. Lifshitz himself did not really want to display his works at home, but his wife asserted her rights over the domestic sphere, and became "curator" of the collection. "This is a mandate he allowed me to have," she explains. "Every once in a while I would send a guy or two to the studio to take works home. He would always make fun of me, but when he would get home and see them placed and hung as I chose, he would be filled with satisfaction." If during his lifetime she would occasionally replace the artworks in the house, since his death she has changed nothing. Dorit Lifshitz talks about her husband's illness: "We thought it was the flu and went to the hospital because the fever would not go down for three days. In the first exam they realized something was wrong. Due to the kind of relationship we had, I decided that I wasn't going to tell him anything. I understood that he was very sick, and because I knew him, I knew that he wouldn't want [treatment]. As he once put it to one of the doctors, he didn't want his job to be going to the hospital, and said that he had already lived a full life. For three months, I did not utter a word about it. And he did not ask - uncharacteristically for Uri. Physically he did not feel sick, aside from a little fatigue. [Otherwise] we were very candid and spoke about everything in life and in the most intimate fashion. Maybe deep down he did know." Many of the sculptures in the house are self-portraits, dating from the time he was contending with throat cancer. For a month he did undergo treatment, and on one occasion asked to have the medical mask they placed on his face. A cast of it appears in one of the sculptures in the apartment. "This was how he dealt with his cancer," his widow says. "He wasn't sad or scared for a second. I remember how we went for 30 days for treatments. An ordinary human being would have been scared, but he created a whole series of work out of it. Not from a place of weakness or whining, but rather because he was standing tall." Uri Lifschitz, an award-winning and controversial Israeli artist, died May 28 at 75. Lifschitz tried to bring the influence of pop art and historical painting traditions to Israeli art. In the 1990s he became infamous for a series of provocative paintings of Margalit Har-Shefi, then the girlfriend of Yigal Amir, assassin of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. His sales dropped and he could not get his work into establishment galleries.A 2009 exhibition at two Tel Aviv galleries was titled “Back to the Future” and was his first exhibition in major Israeli galleries in years. Among the topics were works done “in real time” on the evacuation of Amona, uprisings of Palestinians and portraits of political figures such as former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Friends and family said Lifschitz loved provocation and used his paintings to understand current affairs.Lifschitz studied painting at Seminar Hakibbutzim Teachers College in Tel Aviv and won the 1982 Dizengoff Prize. He was a father of six, including the artist Giora Lifschitz.    ebay4755