A Day at the Prado

With grey clouds overhead, it looked like it was going to rain cats and dogs. While the breezy winds swept across our faces, we prayed for sunshine so we can take in the full atmosphere of Madrid. As we got closer to our destinations throughout the day, at La Puerta del Sol (a shopper´s paradise), at monuments, or at the famous art museum, el Prado, the glimmering sun followed us, or at least long enough to take a few decent photos!

My favorite destination thus far has been El Museo del Prado. El Prado, a museum is the home to works of Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, Bosch, Raphael, Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, Rembrant, Bottecelli, and many more monumental artists. The museum is a chest full of treasures scattered about throughout the many floors and halls of the museum. Like pirates searching for a treasure chest, Jamie, Kali, and I explored the various hallways, rooms, and floors of el Prado with our handy dandy museum map in order to find many masterpieces. Each room allowed us to travel through periods of time through many locations near and far as we "oohed" and "aahed" in front of a myriad of master works.

Enlaced in gold leaf, the pristine "Annunciation" by Fra Angelico (see photo) is simply breathtaking. Bosch's tryptich of "The Garden of Earthly Delights" is an adventure in itself. These are two of the many "don´t miss"  works. Many Spanish artists including Velazquez and El Greco have a home in this amazing place. But what really caught my eye was the Goya exhibition. The exhbit explored Goya´s artistic techniques and subject matter. On the bottom level of el Prado, a creepy and eerie feeling prevailed as we were lead to the vault of Goya´s gloomier paintings. This level included darker paintings, such as Satan Devouring Child. Numerous pieces displaying royalty or historical events found their place on the main level. Masking a giant wall, many people were spellbound as they stood in front of the Second of May and Third of May paintings.

On the top level, complete with sky lights and light green painted walls, a cheerier atmosphere held some of Goya´s works that depicted nature, happier scenes of people, landscapes, and less formal scenes, all portrayed in brilliant, vibrant colors that made the paintings come to life. With the perfect mix of the environment and the works it contained, I felt that I was trapped in between the pages of a story book. It was a light, happy feeling that can bring anyone back to their youth. In all, the most interesting thing that was portrayed in the exhibit was how Goya´s style evolved as it reflected different subject matter as it changed to such extremes. After 3.5 hours in the museum, it was a satisfying experience that made me wish I could have stayed there the whole day!