There are places on the world map in which the concentration of works of art per unit area is very different from the average. These include the Paris Louvre, St. Petersburg Hermitage. There are few museums comparable to them in the world. But they are still there.
Prado - the Spanish treasury
In Madrid, there is also a gallery with which, in a collection of works by European, and especially Spanish artists, not a single collection can be compared in any city. The Prado Museum is unparalleled in its wealth of works by Velazquez, Goya, Bosch and many other artists. It can be safely called the main attraction of the Spanish capital, and not to visit here means not to know this country and not understand its soul.
Prado Museum (Madrid, Spain) - top of the Golden Triangle
Treasures of painting are concentrated in the Pyrenees in three main galleries. The most famous art museums in Spain (Reina Sofia, Thyssen Bornemisza and Prado) make up a kind of “golden triangle” that attracts art lovers from all over the world. Even tourists who are not particularly interested in painting and sculpture visit these attractions, and what they see makes such a strong impression that they often change their outlook on art and the whole world. And there is nothing surprising in this. Many of the paintings collected here are known throughout the world and have a certain magic. Their stories are exciting, the fate of the authors is tragic and mysterious, as are the stories of these works, which have magnetic properties for the inexperienced. Connoisseurs would like to see with their own eyes the canvases they knew for reproductions and enjoy this discovery. After all, no printing industry, even the highest quality, gives a complete picture of the artist’s skill.
The basis of the collection of paintings
The collection of kings has been accumulating for over three hundred years. Paintings by Spanish and foreign artists were purchased for cathedrals and churches, their themes were mostly religious, but the expansion of Spain's cultural and economic ties contributed to genre diversity. Titian was Karl's favorite painter; from the collection of his canvases, the basis of the modern exhibition originates. In 1548, the artist received a “secular” order for a portrait of the king in honor of his victory at the Battle of Mülberg. At the same time, paintings by famous European painters were acquired.
Until the XVII century, the vision of paintings was accessible only to the nobility. Art was considered the inheritance of the elect, there were no museums and art galleries in Spain, and the first public exhibition by royal will was to receive a natural-scientific direction. For her, they have already chosen a place - Prado Park in Madrid. Construction began in 1785, but was not completed immediately. Charles III died, and his successor, King Charles IV, did not consider the museum such an important matter as to generously finance it. At the beginning of the XIX century Bonaparte attacked Spain, and it was not at all before culture. The erected building was damaged by the invasion, in addition, a decision was made on its new appointment. From the palaces of Madrid and Aranjuez, royal art treasures were to be brought here.
Gallery birth
The Napoleonic Wars ended, and four years later, in 1819, the Prado Museum in Madrid opened. Philip II, unlike Charles V, lived in Spain, and moved his father's collection from Brussels to the capital. Then there were relatively few paintings, a little over three hundred, but it was they who formed the basis of the gallery.
Philip II did a lot to make the Prado Museum in Madrid one of the best European art collections. Like Charles V, he was a connoisseur of the Italian school; during his reign, the collection was replenished with the works of Tintoretto, Bassano, Veronese and many other painters. Philip paid tribute to Jerome Bosch, acquiring his paintings, including the best of them, “Garden of Delights”. Then the walls of the museum were decorated with masterpieces of Albrecht Durer and Montaigne.
Dutch diplomat Rubens successfully combined public service with the creation of immortal canvases. Arriving in Spain in 1628, he sold the king paintings painted here, and his other paintings adorned the Prado Museum in Madrid later, after the artist’s death.
Exposure Expansion
As time passed, the status of the royal congregation became cramped for the Prado. The exposition expanded, in the second half of the 19th century it was enriched with paintings from Escorial and some monastery collections. Since 1868, the Prado is a museum in Spain, which no longer belongs to the royal dynasty, but to the whole country, with a national status.
Significant was the event that occurred in 1927. The philanthropist and one of the greatest collectors, Don Cabanes, made a generous gift. The canvas "John the Evangelist", which depicts the beloved disciple of Christ, replenished a rich collection of paintings on New Testament themes, which the Prado Museum in Madrid is so famous for. The paintings of this painter adorn the hall reserved for them along with the works of other Spanish masters. Extensive selection of old Dutch authors.
New architectural solutions and antiquity
In connection with the constant replenishment and expansion of the exposition at the turn of the past and current centuries, the issue of increasing the area has become urgent. The project of Raphael Monet was a pleasure for the basis of the reconstruction plan, and as a result of its implementation in 2007, new buildings appeared that met all modern requirements, and at the same time harmonized with the old part. The Prado Museum in Madrid today is a single architectural ensemble, including the San Jeronimo Monastery, built in the 18th century, modern buildings and major galleries. The work was not cheap, their estimate amounted to an amount exceeding one and a half hundred million euros, but the result is worth the money spent.
The combination of ancient Spanish architecture with the latest achievements of modern architecture makes a joyful impression, indicating the continuity of eras and the eternity of great art.
Entrance to the museum and its plan
Not a single tourist visiting Madrid passes the central part of the city where the Prado Museum is located. The reference point can be Sibeles Square, Atocha Station, and there is also a very beautiful botanical garden.
For convenience and systematization of the inspection of the exposition, the administration developed a route. Visitors enter the gates of Puertade los Heronimos, then follow to the central hall of the museum. On the ground floor are collections of Flemish and Spanish paintings. They occupy the entire first floor together with a collection of works by Italian and French artists of the 16th-17th centuries located in the north wing. You can enter the museum through other gates, named after the brilliant Spanish painters Murillo and Goya.
The second floor is completely dedicated to Rembrandt and Rubens. From there, the staircase descends again, the exposition of the art of the Golden Age, represented by Velazquez, Murillo and El Greco, begins. The paintings of the great Goya are on both floors, on the second there is his “black painting”. In the central part of the museum are represented all the epochs of European art right up to the masterpieces of the 19th century.
Visit Prado and see the "Three Graces"
Inspect all the works of Prado in one visit is almost impossible, some of them stop, attracting attention for a long time. True lovers of painting, who came here not “for show, ” repeat the visit more than once, preferring to spend all their free time in the gallery. As in other great treasures of world culture, there are also works that have become a kind of "calling card", according to which an expert will always distinguish the Prado Museum in Madrid. Photos and reproductions of Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, Bruhel's Triumph of Death, Caravaggio’s David and Goliath have become symbols of this gallery. There are other masterpieces that fans of high art from all over the world come to see. The Descent from the Cross, written by Vander Weyden, the Rubensian Three Graces, and, of course, Goya's Black Paintings cannot leave anyone indifferent.
How expensive a visit to the Prado
Nowadays, international tourism has become available not only to moneybags, but also to middle-income people. Unlike the rich, they have to think about saving during the trip, and, as you know, the love of art is not always directly proportional to the amount of income. To the credit of the Prado Museum management, the democratic cost of admission to this wonderful art gallery should be noted. You can visit it for 14 euros, most of all (23 euros) this pleasure will cost those who want to use the services of a guide, but there are several reliable ways to reduce the cost of communication with the beautiful. The last two hours on Sundays, admission is free. Senior citizens and students from a united Europe, teachers and journalists are also free. Students from other countries pay a symbolic amount of three euros, which is less than a cup of coffee in Madrid. In addition, there are other promotions that can be found at the box office of the museum. The employees are friendly and will always help you choose the most economical time to visit the Prado. It is especially interesting that children are allowed here for free, and those who are under the age of eighteen are considered as such.
