Located in the heart of Madrid, the Museo del Prado boasts of one of the most extensive art galleries all over the world. With more than 7000 pieces comprising the museum's collection, the Museo del Prado serves as a window into the artisitic history of Spain. Prominent artists featured in this collection include Velázquez and Goya, among many others.
Because there was so much to see, we spent the entire day there, taking a break around lunchtime to grab a bite to eat. All of that time on your feet wandering from room to room taking in one masterpiece after another definitely makes for a big appetite!
Of Velázquez's works that are featured in the museum, perhaps the most well-known of the Golden Age painter is Las meninas (third picture from the bottom), a portrait of the royal family painted in 1656.
The museum depicts Goya's genius in his pinturas negras (black paintings), described with this term due to the dark colors that predominate to convey the distorted dehumanized appearance of the subjects in the canvas. I think that I would have to say that my favorite of these type of painting by Goya is his Saturno Devorando a Su Hijo, which translates to Saturn Devouring His Son. However, of all of his paintings, the most historically significant are El Dos de Mayo and El Tres de Mayo (second from the bottom). These paintings portray the 1808 anti-French revolt in Madrid that resulted in the execution of various insurgents within the city.
Although the museum primarily focuses on Spanish art, it also houses other works from foreign artists, including but not limited to Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights (bottom picture) as well as works by Carvaggio, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, etc.
For a glimpse at what the museum describes as "15 masterpieces," see the following url:
http://www.museodelprado.es/en/visit-the-museum/15-masterpieces
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