This past weekend, I travelled to Madrid with my Art History class to see some of the larger museums in Spain. We went to the Prado (home of several very important works including Velazquez and El Greco), the Museo Reina Sofia (contemporary art from the 20th century and onward including Dali and Picasso), and the Museo Thyssen (everything). In addition to the art museums, we went to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace), the Plaza Mayor, and other parts of historic Madrid. In a small section of free time, I made a literary pilgrimage to the houses of Lope de Vega (a baroque playwright) and Cervantes (author of Don Quixote). (Laugh at me if you like.)
Although I was rather overwhelmed by its scope, I enjoyed the Prado very much. Seeing the paintings of El Greco in real life is an experience so completely different from seeing them on a PowerPoint slideshow. The Museo Reina Sofia was interesting, but the art of Spain from the 20th century is usually dark and depressing. Having been produced in ages dominated by war, dictators, censorship, disillusionment and general suffering, you can imagine that this art does not often deal with uplifting themes. The Museo Thyssen was my favorite because it had everything from gothic art to contemporary art in a museum that was a manageable size. In addition to several very interesting paintings that captured my attention, there was a special exhibit of Monet that I particularly enjoyed. It is one of those experiences where you arrive and realize that this something is much larger, more important, and perhaps more moving and powerful than you thought it was or even had imagined it to be.
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