An Afternoon at El Museo Nacional Del Prado

While visiting El Museo Nacional Del Prado on Sunday afternoon we were asked to look for some very important Andalusian artist whose art work resides in the museum. Those artist were; Francisco de Zurbarán, Diego Velázquez, and Bartolomé Murillo. Each of these artists created a wealth of amazing art pieces, but here are a few of my personal favorites and some background on the artists themselves.

Fransico de Zurbarán was born on November 7, 1589 and died on August 27, 1664. He was born in a small town in the province of Extremadura. He drew from a very early age, so his father decided to send him to Sevilla for three years to apprentice a painter. During his time as an apprentice he learned his craft very well and even surpassed many local artists with his art work. Because of that during the 1630s he was appointed painter to Rey Felipe IV. During that time Zurbarán left his mark on the world of art. He was primarily known for his religious paintings. The painting I chose as my favorite happens to be from the time before he was a royal painter. It is the “Visión de San Pedro Nolasco” completed in 1629. This painting depicts an angel coming to San Pedro Nolasco and showing him a vision of the city of Jerusalem. The reason I chose this picture was because I really like the way the clothes on both San Pedro and the angel have so much detail and also both their faces are very realistic. I also liked the fact that the figures are both very dominant and strong in the painting and that the vision is hazy and less detailed to give you the impression of a true vision.

Diego Velázquez was born on June 6, 1599 and dies on August 6, 1660. Velázquez was actually born in the city of Sevilla and showed his gift for art at an early age. Therefore he apprenticed under many painters for several years. By the 1620s he was a well known painter and was appointed as a painter in the court of Rey Felipe IV. Velázquez created several famous paintings in his lifetime, his most famous being the painting “Las Meninas”. Although that was his most famous painting, the painting I chose was “La Reina Doña Isabel de Francia a caballo”. This painted was completed in 1635. I chose this painting because although its theme is obvious, a simple portrait of the Queen, I really loved the way he painted her riding habit with such detail. One can almost see the texture of the fabric in the painting. I also like that Velázquez painted his subjects as the truly looked. So when I look at one of his paintings I feel like I’m looking and the true likeness of the subject, which to me is pretty extraordinary.

Bartolomé Murillo was born December 31, 1617 and died on April 3. 1682. Murillo was also born in the city of Sevilla and that is where he did most of his painting. Although he spent most of his life in Sevilla, he did travel to Madrid and became familiar with paintings by Velázquez while he was there. Murillo was best known for his religious works and was often compared to both Zurbarán and Velázquez. The painting I chose was “Inmaculada de Soult” completed in 1678 depicts the Virgin Mary on a cloud and surrounded by angels. The reason I choose this painting was because as Catholic who admires the Virgin Mary I just really loved the way this image of her looked. It has a very serene feeling to it. I imagine he may have depicted her on a cloud and looking up to give the feeling that she was in Heaven and maybe even looking up at God. I like that the angels all are little bit different and all around her mostly looking at here in awe. To me it was an extremely powerful painting.

I enjoyed the time at the museum so much and was glad to have been able to see not only these artists and their painting, but other artists and their work too. It was an incredible experience to walk through all the rooms and visit El Prado.