Bullfighting is a tradition that involves professional performers who execute various formal moves with the goal of appearing graceful and confident, while masterful over the bull itself. Such manoeuvers are performed at close range, and conclude with the death of the bull by a well-placed sword thrust as the finale.
This 14 meters high black silhouetted image of a bull in semi-profile is regarded as the unofficial national symbol of Spain. One of the biggest sherry companies erected these large images of bulls starting in 1956, in black with the maker's name, as advertising boardings on sites near to major roads throughout Spain.
A law was passed in 1994 prohibiting roadside advertising and so the boardings were to be removed. By this time the signs were nationally renowned, and public response resulted in the signs being retained, but completely blacked out to remove all reference to the original advertisers. The Court eventually allowed these signs to remain on the grounds that it has become a part of the landscape where it is present and its "aesthetic or cultural significance" thus turning it into a figure of public domain.