Prado Perfection: Madrid’s Magnificent Museum

Since Spain controlled most of the New World, and an amazing amount of Europe for so long it's no surprise that the Museo del Prado is the greatest in the world. Only the Louvre comes close and I'll stack up the Goyas, El Grecos and Valezquezs here with any museum anywhere. Unfortunately, the Prado's three floors of artistic treasures require several visits. We accomplish this by staying at the Palace Hotel just across the street and starting our days at the museum. I used to arrive when it opened at nine and, with a lunch break in the decent cafeteria, stay until closing around seven. The unhappy result of this approach is eyestrain and a tendency of images to blend one into the other. If you must visit for a couple of hours only whiz through - such a shame - to the wonderful Rubens Three Traces on the second - really the third floor - that seem a good place to start as it's got the Goyas and Velasquez Collections. While there are about 100 Rubens here that can be too many acres of what today's standards call "lumpy ladies" for most. So get over to the Goya section, as fast as possible for the two Majas, a major scandal of 1800. El Greco's here are good, but Toledo's are better. There's a major group of Italian painters here too. Titian's the most numerous because he was the court painter for Charles the 5th. It's sad to say that Spanish Royalty, save for the Majas aren't exactly beautiful with a certain abundance of nose and insufficiency of chins all round. These are most evident in the Valezquezs. It's difficult to deal with the galleries that hold Goyas "black paintings" painted when he was in exile in France with money, hearing and other health problems. Too much time here can be profoundly depressing! His anti war masterpiece "The Third of May" that's quite near the Majas offer all the commentary needed on war. It's of historical interest that guerillas became the term for irregular local soldiers after the French under Napoleon invaded. A quick trip down to the ground floor and a peak at the wildly weird Hieronymus Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights does a lot to explain Dali's weird watches and other oddments. One thing is certain you won't forget these images. So it's a good way to leave a short visit.

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