The 3 most famous paintings in Madrid

Madrid is rife with renowned and impressive art, housed in its prestigious institutions such as the Museo del Prado and the Museo de la Reina Sofia. In this post we are going to focus solely on three works of art, the most famous worldwide, which are currently housed in Madrid. These three paintings are Guernica by Pablo Picasso, The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, and Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez. At the end of the post you can also find a list of other important works which are worth seeing whilst in Madrid.

Guernica, Pablo Picasso, 1937

"In the panel on which I am working, which I call Guernica, I clearly express my abhorrence of the military caste which has sunk Spain into an ocean of pain and death." Picasso

Guernica by Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous examples of 20th century Spanish art. It is currently housed in the Museo Reina Sofia, after an initial showing in Paris, a subsequent international exhibition, and then temporary housing in the Museum of Modern Art in New York up until 1981. It was first painted because Picasso was commissioned by the Republican government to produce a work in response to the historical event of the bombing of Guernica to display in the Spanish Pavilion of the Paris International Exposition in 1937. The theme of the show was actually technology, but Picasso defied this thematic expectation and focused on an artistic response to the recent devastation in his native Spain. The Spanish Republican government were also behind the international tour following the exposition, keen to create awareness of the war and also raise money for the Spanish Refugee Committee. Furthermore, Picasso refused to allow Guernica to return to Spain until democracy was restored, insisting it be kept at the MoMA until the "reestablishment of public liberties" in Spain.

The display of this work at the International Exposition, alongside the global tour during which it became famous and widely acclaimed, helped to bring the Spanish Civil War to the forefront of the global consciousness. As a work of art, Guernica acts as Picasso´s commentary on what role art can play in political and ethical matters, and how art can protect individuals against the forces of fascism and war. Picasso does not focus on the bombing itself but on the suffering of war for individuals, specifically innocent civilians. The painting makes an initial visceral impression from its sheer size - approximately 11 feet tall and 25 feet wide, a mural-sized work. Picasso also chose to paint in black and white, a decision which recalls newspaper announcements and reportage, linking the work to a photographic record of the devastation that would be reproduced for jounalistic, not artistic, purposes.

Las Meninas, Diego Velázquez, 1656

One of Velázquez´s greatest and most popular works, Las Meninas is also one of the greatest attractions of the Museo del Prado. This work depicts the royal family during the reign of King Felipe IV of Spain, the most prominent figure being the young Infanta Margarita, daughter of the king and Mariana de Austria. The title of the work comes from the queen´s meninas, meaning maids of honour, also featured in the painting. They are all stood in the Cuarto del Príncipe in the Royal Alcázar of Madrid, along with several other figures of the court and the painter himself. Through this work, Velázquez raises questions about status, the role of the artist, illusion and reality, and the role of the viewer. He depicts himself working on the canvas, looking out beyond where the viewer stands, an unsettling sensation which is furthered by the inclusion of the faces of the king and queen reflected in the mirror. The viewer is forced to grapple with the limits of representation versus reality, and their own implicit role within the painting.

The Garden of the Earthly Delights, Hieronymus Bosch (El Bosco), 1500-1505

Bosch´s impressive The Garden of Earthly Delights is a triptych oil painting on an oak panel held at the Museo del Prado. Before being hung there, the painting spent over three centuries in the El Escorial Monastery. It is formed from a square middle panel, flanked by two rectangular panels which close over the centre one like shutters, presenting to the viewer a depiction of the third day of Creation. On this day of Creation, the waters were separated from the earth and earthly Paradise, Eden, was created, as told in Genesis (1:9-13). When opened, however, the three panels represent, from left to right, Paradise, a false deception of Paradise, and Hell. 

In Paradise, we see a scene of Adam and Eve, and Bosch continues the landscape of true Paradise through to the centre scene, false Paradise, to give a clear idea of the deception. This false Paradise shows humanity given over to lust and pleasure, nude humans revelring. The right panel, Hell, shows the punishment for man´s behaviour in the central panel, and the eternal damnation they face. It is thought that this painting is a visual representation of the Old Testament belief that, before the fall of Adam and Eve, there is no defined boundary between good and evil, and that humanity was unaware of the consequences of their behaviour.

Some more notable paintings in Madrid 

The Second of May 1808, Francisco de Goya, 1814

This work by Goya is held in the Museo del Prado. Also known as The Charge of the Mamelukes, it is part of a pair of paintings, with the companion piece entitled The Third of May 1808, showing one of the numerous rebellions by the Spanish during Napoleon´s occupation of the country. Goya lived through the French occupation of Spain, and seems to suggest through his representation of the uprising in this painting his support for the bravery of the Spanish insurrectors. 

The Three Graces, Pedro Pablo Rubens, 1636-39

An oil painting in the Baroque style which was kept by the artist until his final days. After his death, it went to the Royal Alcazar of Madrid and then was later hung in the Museo del Prado. It depicts three naked women, representing the Three Graces, which is a concept from Greek mythology, in which there are three main goddesses, the goddess of pleasant charm, the goddess of charitable deeds and the goddess of gratitude. This painting is a primary example of Ruben´s masterful depictions of human flesh.

View of the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Canaletto, 1750

This painting of the Piazza San Marco, one of the most important and historic squares in Venice, was painted by Canaletto in the 1750s along with other depictions of Venice. These works are famous for Canaletto´s ingenious use of perspective, fitting the expansive square and its monuments into the frame by using a high vantage point. It is held in the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza.

The Great Masturbator, Salvador Dalí, 1929, or Girl at a Window, 1925

Both of these two works by Dalí are held in the Museo Reina Sofia. The Great Masturbator is one of Dalí´s many strange and psychic self-portraits, whilst Girl at a Window is a hyper-realist work of the painter´s sister.

Les Vessenots in Auvers, Van Gogh, 1890

Painted in what would be the last few years of his life, this work depicts country cottages and swaying trees with a high horizon line and a reduced palette. Auvers is a small village 35 km north of Paris, where Van Gogh stayed for around 2 months, a time both short and extremely productive. This painting is held by the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza.

La Maja Vestida y La Maja Desnuda, Francisco de Goya, 1800-08 

These two Goya paintings are near identical, except in one the woman is clothed and in the other the woman is in the nude; she reclines on a bed of pillows, holding the viewer´s eye with a bold gaze that breaks away from the archetypal coyness in Spanish nude portraiture.

Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, Ghirlandaio, 1488

Painted by Italian Renaissance painter Ghirlandaio, this painting was commissioned by Lorenzo Tornabuoni following his wife´s death. It is painted in a typical 15th century Florentine portraiture style, the profile portrait. This work is on show at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. 

By Lulu Rehman, June 2021