Museo del Prado, Madrid, 20- 22 February 2013

Recent travels have taken me to the bustling city of Madrid, recommended for of course, the art galleries. With only a few days to spare in the country, I visited only the best known galleries and museums recommended to me, and consequently spent my evenings sipping sangria and digging into plates of paella. That aside, I have many exhibitions and places to introduce and recommend, the first of these being the Museo del Prado, situated in the heart of the city and boasting a collection that currently comprises around 7,600 paintings, 1,000 sculptures, 4,800 prints and 8,200 drawings, in addition to a large number of other works of art and historic documents. Works created from as early as the 12th century to the 19th century fill every space of this historic site, originally designed on orders of Charles III to house the Natural History Cabinet.



Works of particular recommendation were a vast collection of paintings by Francisco Goya; The Clothed Maja (1800-1808), The Naked Maja (before 1800), The Drowning Dog (1820-1823) and many other paintings and drawings by the artist. Seeing these paintings online or in books is no comparison to seeing them in reality. Although these works are some of Goya's best known works, the most famous piece in the whole of the museum is Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez (1656), which has been recognised as one of the most important paintings in Western art history.














The Clothed Maja, 1800-1808
















The Naked Maja, Before 1800



The Drowning Dog, 1820-1823





Las Meninas, Diego Velazquez, 1656