The Museum district - Madrid

Some of Madrid's memorable sights inhabit this barrio, with all of them on or within walking distance of the Paseo del Prado. There are the three world-class museums plus the Parque del Buen Retiro.

The first thing you see when you emerge from the metro station is this gorgeous construction. It's  the Antigua Estacion de Atocha, a 19th century railway station. In 1992 the northwestern wing of the building was given a stunning overhaul.  The project was the work of architect Rafael Moneo, and his landmark achievement was to create a thoroughly modern space that resonates with the stately European train stations of another age. The structure of this grand iron-and-glass relic was preserved, while its interior was artfully converted into a light-filled tropical garden with more than 500 plant species - so we are told, anyway. We tried to visit, but it was closed as it was being renovated.

The whole area is full of grand buildings but it is the three museums, the so-called Golden Triangle of Art,  that are the stars here.

The Centro de Arte Reina Sofia houses Madrid's premier collection of contemporary art.  The collection spans the 20th century up to the 1980s.

Its collection is mainly dedicated to Spanish art. Highlights include collections of Spain's two greatest 20th century masters, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. The most famous masterpiece in the museum is Picasso's 1937 painting Guernica. Along with its extensive collection, the museum offers a mixture of national and international temporary exhibitions, making it one of the world's largest museums for modern and contemporary art - in 2021 it ranked eigth on the list of most-visited art museums in the world.

The building is on the site of the first general hospital of Madrid. In 1969 it was closed down as a hospital. Extensive modern renovations and additions to the old building were made starting in 1980. 

Its architectural identity was radically changed in 1989 by Ian Ritchie with the addition of three glass circulation towers.

The view from one of the glass towers as the lift takes you up

The plaza in front of the museum

Alberto (Sanchez), The Spanish People Have a Path That Leads to a Star

The walk to the Prado is past the Botanical garden, a very pleasant walk

Or, you can walk along this avenue which is in the middle of the of the two roads of traffic

I was so pleased to see a Stolperstein as it's so important to acknowledge atrocities wherever they happen and to whoever they happen, and to remember. We saw so many stolpersteine in Berlin, they were everywhere, but particularly in the Spandauer Vorstadt area, which before the war, was the city's Jewish quarter. You can see some of them here

A stoperstein means a stumbling stone, metaphorically a stumbling block, or a stone to stumble upon. They are 10x10cm concrete cubes bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. An art project, initiated by the German artist Gunter Demniq in 1992, which is still ongoing, it aims to commemorate individual persons at exactly the last place of residency - or sometimes, work - which was freely chosen by the persons before s/he fell victim to Nazi terror, euthanasia, was deported to a concentration or extermination camp, or escaped persecution by emigrating or suicide.  As of 31 January 2017, over 56,000 stopersteine have been laid in 22 European countries, making this the world's largest decentralised memorial. The majority commemorate Jewish victims of the Holocaust, but others have been placed for Sinti and Romani people, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, black people and other groups that the Nazis exterminated.

The Prado has many entrances - this is the one opposite the entrance to the botanical gardens and it's an entrance for groups only

It's quite a long walk to the main entrance, since the building is huge. The first time we tried to visit the queues were snaking all around the building - there are queues for everything in Madrid, but this was the longest. So, we went for a second visit to the Reina Sofia on that day, and then booked the Prado online.

The Museo Nacional del Prado, houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th. Some of the highlights of the collection are the numerous works by Francisco Goya, the single most extensively represented artist, as well as by Hieronymus Bosch, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian and Diego Velazquez. Velasquez and his keen eye and sensibility were also responsible for bringing much of the museum's fine collection of Italian masters to Spain, now one of the largest outside of Italy.

It's important, when visiting the Prado, to come armed with a list of the paintings and sculptures you want to see, otherwise you will get lost in the middle of 1300 works that are on display at any one time (out of 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints and 1,000 sculptures).

The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza is the third of the Golden Triangle of Art.

There is a large collection of early European painting, with a major collection of 14th and 15th century art; works by leading Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo painters, and a large number of European 19th century art. In other words, a bit of everything. Unlike the other two, the collections are manageable and one is not overwhelmed by the sheer number of what is on show.

It is very pleasant walking around this area

The Iglesia de San Jeronimo el Real is in this area as well, behind the Prado. It's quite lovely.

We wanted to go inside, but it was closed - as far as I can tell, churches are open only during services.   

This building is part of the Prado Museum

We were intrigued by this gate - Doorway-Passageway in bronze, by Cristina Iglesias (2007)

Next, are the gardens of El Retiro, but they will be the subject of another post.

Goya's frescoes

The church of San Antonio de la Florida has frescoed ceilings painted by Goya in 1798 - it's one of the few places one can see Goya masterworks in their original setting.

There are two identical chapels on the left bank of the Manzanares, facing the Casa de Campo which really confused us at first. Built originally as a small royal chapel, San Antonio de la Florida, was made a parish church in 1881. Over time candle smoke and incense began to damage the frescoes so in 1905 the building was established as a National Monument. A second twin church was built to serve the parish and the original chapel was kept only as a museum.

Taking photographs inside the church was not allowed but I managed to surreptitiously take a few - well, not that surreptitiously as I was told off three times by three different people. They all calmed down however when I bought the book on the chapel. So, some of the photographs in this post are the ones I took and some I copied from the book.

The church is small but well-proportioned. It has a single nave with some smaller outbuildings, a central dome and cupola.

The altar is crowned with two classical angel figures, bowing before the Holy Trinity symbol which is carved with golden rays.  In the large niche an 18th-century ivory, stone and gilt-bronze Christ on the cross is sheltered.

Francisco de Goya is buried before the altar. Over the granite tomb there is a marble inscription, which was brought from his original tomb in Bordeaux.There the painter had been laid to rest in the family vault of Martin Mighel de Boicoechea, whose daughter had married Goya's only son, Javier. Since Goya and Coicoechea were buried together in Bordeaux, both of their remains were brought to San Antonio in 1919, to avoid possible identification problems. Also, the painter's skull is missing; it was stolen in the last century, perhaps by some excessiveoy keen phrenologist.

The chapel's frescoes were painted by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, the foremost painter of his time and one of the undisputed masters of Werstern art.  Goya broke free from academy rules and in his later years developed new forms of expression, which have helped shape contemporary artistic thought and styles. Some of these techniques are evident in the frescoes in the chapel. Goya was fifty-two when he began working on this chapel, and at the peak of his creative power.

The main scene in the dome is built around an incident in St Athony's life. St Anthony, a Franciscan friar, lived in the 13th century in the city of Padova. One day, he got news that his father was wrongfully accused of murder. Miraculously, he travelled to Lisbon where the trial was being held, and demanding to see the slain victim, asked him whether the accused was guilty of his death. As a crowd of people watched on in disbelief, the corpse returned to life and declared the man's innocence, though he would not expose the real killer.

In church decorations, lower walls usually contained images of mortals and earthly stories, while the higher vaults, and the dome particularly, portrayed heavenly scenes.

At San Antonio, Goya breaks away from this baroque tradition; he depicts the miracle scene on the cupola and places the angels in the lower vaults. The eye is led to the dome, where the humans are depicted, while the Holy Trinity is on the apse vault, a relatively minor place.  The main scene is presented as if on a stage, and the painter uses the device of feigned curtains which the angels draw back as if to bring the main scene to our attention.

The dome:

In the frescoes painted on the dome, a crowd surrounds the tromp d'oeil iron railing and witnesses the mirarcle: elegant weomen, beggars, country folk, well-dressed gentlemen and chaperoned girls. There are also a few rather sinister figures that stray from the generally pleasant atmosphere. 

The main characters in the miracle scene are grouped on the dome's far side, and thus are the first images that visitors see when entering the chapel. In the scene, St Anthony has just addressed teh slain man and the latter, sitting up with some effort, is about to speak. 

The friar's appearance is humble, and he raises a hand in blessing; only the halo around his head indicates his saintly nature. The resurrected man, looking pale and exhausted, joins his hands weakly; he is the kind of ghost-like figure that shall become frequent in Goya's work. Another man behind him supports his waist, and a young woman is devoutly kneeling before St.Anthony.

The group that follows, known as the 'majas', is one of the more famous in the whole chapel. Goya used them twice in later works, as did other artists who studied Goya, such as Eugenio Lucas or Edouart Manet. Three young women were whispering together, but one of them suddenly stares up at St. Anthony with deep devotion, resting her chin on her joined hands. Meanwhile, her companions, unaware of the miracle, are glancing with great interest at some men in the crowd, which reflects the festive mood of the popular religious services.

Covered in a large ochre mantle that hides her forehead and eyes, a monumental and rather disturbing figure has been named the 'Celestina' or procuress, because of her similarity with that sort of character in The Caprichos prints. She seems to be looking down at the viewer, creating a link between the real and the painted world.

That impression is further emnphasized by the great white shawl draped over the railing, as it was and is still done during festivals. Close to it, a woman in a brightly coloured dress is staring up at the man nearby, who throws open his arms in a devout gesture. He has climbed upon a stone ashlar and is therefore the exact counterpoint to St. Anthony, both of them forming an axis across the circular painted scene.  In this figure, Goya's use of light and perspective can be fully appreciated: all the characters are seen from below, so that their faces seem to catch the light from the cupola, casting a shadow on their necks.

Behind St Anthony, a man in ragged clothes raises his arm in awe

The 'toothless beggar', as he has been named, wearing a blue waistcoat, stares intently at the miracle. Another man buries his face in the beggar's shoulder. Both images reflect real life in the late 17th century, since vagabonds could be seen on the streps of every church; today, it's still the same.

A man is standing, dressed in brown and yellow ochre; traditionally, observers have identified this figure as Goya himself.

Close to the railing a young woman is seated, but only her face is visible, enveloped in a a large white cloak.

Closer to St Anthony, a young couple appears to show devout piety, which runs counter to the arguments of some authors that claim a complete lack of religious feeling in the frescoes.

The vaults:

On the vaults and lower walls by the windows the angels are scattered, drawing back simulated curtains. 

They are, quite surprisingly, female angels, and thus attracted the attention of many 19th century authors. 

These sensual and delightful figures are among the finest creations of Western art. 

With pearly faces and soft billowing robes, they appear to inhabit a different world from the one depicted in the dome.

Pendetives:

On the pendetives the artist depicted small playful cherubs, as in some other parts of the chapel. The chubby infants are sitting or standing on soft cushions, attempting to draw back heavy currtains.

Apse:

On the apse vault, Goya placed the main heavenly vision: the Adoration of the Holy Trinity. The symbol of God is carved with golden rays, and the painted figures are arranged behind it. To suggest the reflection of the divine light, the overall shade in this fresco is golden, as opposed to the silvery grey in the rest of the vaults.

This is the most traditional part of San Antonio:  each individual figure has the same artistic handling and temperament, but their attitudes and gestures, and the composition as a whole, are more conservative and lack the innovation that so brilliantly shows elsewhere.