Of all of the to-dos in Madrid, the Prado Museum tops the list of most guidebooks and websites. Thousands of people visit every day. While it is a spectacular museum, it can get a little monotonous after a while. We had a few hours back in Madrid between getting back from Toledo and departing for Granada. We used it to walk through a lovely city park and visit the Prado.
So Much Art!
There is just so much art in the Prado Museum that it is nearly impossible to see it all and feel the same way you did when you started at the end. I bought the museum guide with my ticket, which helped a lot to gain more insight into several paintings and artists that stuck out to me. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the works of lesser celebrated artists than that of the big names.
However, many of the themes and subjects are repeated by different artists throughout history. I don’t know how many versions of Madonna and Child there are, but most of them are not anything spectacular. In fact, some of the better-known artists with work on display had studies of older paintings. These were essentially, their copies, with slight changes in subject matter and style, of an older master’s work.
Don’t get me wrong, the Prado is worthy of a visit, but if you’re not a museum or art person, maybe spend less time. For any visitor to this museum, be sure to plan your visit. Learn where the art is you may want to see most and map it out. Otherwise you’ll spend a lot of time wandering aimlessly.
Enjoy Art in Place
Also, look for opportunities to see some of these artists’ master works in situ. For example, Goya’s work can be seen a several places in Spain including in a lovely little church in Madrid with his frescos covering the ceilings. Toledo has a church where El Greco was buried with some of his original works painted for that sanctuary. The Cathedral of Toledo also has a small set of galleries with some fantastic works by El Greco, Rubens, Van Dyck, and Goya, among others. For me, these were better settings and art experiences.
