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10 Recommended Artworks at the Prado Museum in Madrid

The Prado Museum, one of the world's three greatest art museums
We've selected only the 10 must-see works from over 8,600 pieces!
The Prado Museum in Spain has a truly large collection of works, just as its reputation suggests.
As a result, it is virtually impossible to see all the works in one day.
For those of you who are having trouble deciding which work to watch among the numerous works.
We've selected 10 must-see works of art at the Prado Museum.
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Selection criteria
Excluding works by artists like Titian, Rubens, Caravaggio, and Dürer that can be easily encountered when traveling in Europe,
We've selected works by representative Spanish authors that are difficult to find in other countries!

💟 1. Velazquez - The Maids of Honor

I think this is the first work that comes to mind when you think of the Prado Museum.
This is 'Las Meninas' by Velazquez, one of the three greatest masters of Spanish medieval painting.
This great work includes works by Picasso, Monet, Dali, Goya, etc.
It is also a work that has inspired many artists to the point that they have reinterpreted it in their own style.
That's why Velazquez is also called 'the painter of painters'.
'The Maids' has a complex and enigmatic painting style,
It is a work of art that has as many interpretations and controversies as the Mona Lisa in the Louvre.
Because there are so many things to see and hear, you can't just look at the work.
This is a work of art that can only be properly appreciated after hearing the explanation of the painting.

💟 2. Hieronymus Bosch - The Garden of Earthly Delights

At first glance, this very bizarre painting looks like a pagan painting, but it is actually a work of art painted on a cathedral altarpiece.
Bosch, who painted this work, is known to be Dutch, not Spanish.
The name Bosch was given because his real name was not known.
He is a mysterious writer about whom not much is known.
Moreover, Bosch's works are so rare that there are only a few of them in the world.
If I had to pick the most famous work among them, it would be
I chose it as the second best because it is the very work of art owned by the Prado Museum, ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’.

💟 3. Goya - Clothed & Naked Maja

This is the most representative work of Goya, one of the three greatest masters of Spanish medieval painting.
Usually these two works are exhibited together.
It's not a name, it's a Spanish word meaning a sophisticated and stylish woman.
This work was commissioned by Godoy, who was Goya's patron and the Prime Minister of Spain at the time.
This is a work of art that still has a lot of controversy over who the main character is.

💟 4. Goya - May 3, 1808

Following third place, fourth place is also Goya's work.
The reason I ranked this piece 4th is because of the heartbreaking historical facts contained in the painting.
Napoleon, who was then the Emperor of France, controlled the gateway to the Atlantic Ocean.
They wanted to conquer Spain, which had many colonies.
So, he tempted them by saying that they should conquer Portugal together and divide it among themselves.
He leads the army into Spain.
Napoleon arrived in Spain with over 20,000 troops and occupied Spain.
He gave the throne to his older brother, Jose I de Bonaparte.
Then, the angry citizens of Madrid rose up in revolt on May 2, 1808.
However, this uprising failed and was suppressed by the French army.
And the next day, May 3, 1808, in Madrid, Principe Pio
This is a painting by Goya depicting citizens of Madrid being executed by French troops.
If you go to the art museum, there is a work titled May 2, 1808 right next to it.
I recommend that you watch it together.

💟 5. Goya - Saturno Devouring His Child

The 5th place is also Goya's work.
The reason I ranked this work 5th is because Goya's painting style changed.
Even at first glance, this work looks different from the Goya works that took 3rd and 4th place, right?
This work is one of 14 paintings that Goya painted on the walls of his own home in 1819.
At that time, Goya was deaf due to acquired hearing impairment and lived in isolation from society.
And then I drew the dark inner world of my own.
The works I drew at that time are called 'black paintings'.

💟 6. El Greco - Adoration of the Shepherds

This is 'Adoration of the Shepherds' by El Greco, one of the three greatest masters of Spanish medieval painting.
'El Greco' is Spanish for 'the Greek'.
El Greco is not a Spanish person, but a Greek painter from the Greek island of Crete.
But he was a painter who lived most of his life in Toledo, Spain.
This work was painted to be hung in the chapel of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo el Antigua in Toledo, where his own tomb is to be located.
I ranked this work 6th because it was El Greco's last work during his lifetime.

💟 7. Joaquin Sorolla - Boys on the Beach

This is 'Boys on the Beach' by Joaquin Soroda, a representative Spanish Impressionist artist.

In fact, depending on the criteria used to rank it, it could be ranked higher.
The reason is that in Spain, which can be called a wasteland of impressionism,
Because he is almost the only person who can be called an impressionist painter.
This painting is one of Sorolla's later works.
He painted a picture of boys playing on the beach in his hometown of Valencia.

💟 8. Bartolome Esteban Murillo - The Immaculate Conception

This is the 'Immaculate Conception' by Esteban Murillo, known as the Raphael of Spain.
The Immaculate Conception is also called the 'Immaculate Conception'.
It is the doctrine of the Catholic Church that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was born without original sin, just like Jesus.
This painter from Seville enjoyed painting portraits of the Virgin Mary.
The most famous painting among them is this one.

💟 9. Francisco de Zurbarán - The Vision of St. Peter Nolasco

He is called the Spanish Caravaggio, as he is the painter who most perfectly used Caravaggio's chiaroscuro technique.
Zurbarán painted most of his works for monastic orders, so he is also called the 'painter of the monks'.
This work depicts Peter, who died hanging upside down on the cross, coming out to welcome the Lord.
It was painted at the request of Pedro Nolasco, founder of the Mercedes Monastery in Seville.

💟 10. José de Rivera - Jacob's Dream

Jose de Rivera was of Spanish origin,
I moved to Italy in my 20s and have spent most of my life there.
In the process, I was naturally influenced by painters such as Caravaggio and Carracci.
He is also known as the painter who best inherited Caravaggio's chiaroscuro technique.
This work is about Jacob, who appears in the Book of Genesis in the Bible, who fell asleep on a stone on his way to Haran.
This is a picture showing the scene of receiving revelation from God at that time.

Curious about other works at the Prado Museum?

The Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, is full of hidden masterpieces, including those by Velazquez and Goya.
In addition to the Prado Museum's representative works, we introduce other masterpieces that you must see.
If you are planning a trip to the Spanish art museums,
Check out the Prado Museum's diverse lineup of artworks with this guidebook!
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A Tour of 60 Must-See Artworks at the Prado Museum
 
          
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