A swirling melee of men and horses fills the center of El dos de mayo de 1808 en Madrid, with figures locked in violent struggle across the entire foreground. At the lower left, a man in a blue and red jacket collapses face-down, one arm outstretched on the ground beside a sabre and a pool of red, his legs twisted beneath him. Just above him, a white horse rears up, its rider in a bright red garment falling backwards, his head thrown back and his arms flung wide as he tumbles from the saddle.

To the right, another horse, painted in a creamy yellow, surges forward, its rider in a dark coat and red sash gripping the reins tightly while chaos erupts around him. In the center, a man in a yellow jacket and blue trousers grapples with an opponent, his back arched and his arm raised as he struggles atop a brown horse. The upper right is crowded with more mounted figures, some in dark uniforms and white turbans, one brandishing a curved sword high above his head, his face tense and mouth open in a shout.

The background dissolves into a smoky, greyish haze, with indistinct buildings and shadowy crowds, suggesting the confusion and panic of a city in turmoil. Light falls unevenly across the scene, picking out the white horses and the vivid red and yellow garments, while much of the action is plunged into shadow, heightening the sense of urgency and disorder. The brushwork is rapid and energetic, with thick, visible strokes that give the surface a rough, almost unfinished texture, emphasizing movement and violence rather than precise detail.

Figures and animals are painted with loose, expressive lines, their forms sometimes merging into one another, reinforcing the impression of bodies caught in the crush of battle. The composition is tightly packed, with little empty space, drawing attention to the physical and emotional intensity of the confrontation. The scene is set outdoors, with the faint outlines of architecture looming in the misty background, but the focus remains on the immediate violence in the foreground. El dos de mayo de 1808 en Madrid was created by Francisco Goya in 1814.