Prado revisited

Prado revisited 

Back in 1978 I'd spent a couple of joyous days at the Prado Museum. It was my first time at a major art museum and the opportunity to study at close proximity (they used to be less protective of artworks back then) so much stuff I'd seen only in small, often greyscale photographs was fascinating. This autumn I went back to Madrid and took the opportunity to revisit the Prado. The visit gave rise to mixed feeling. On the one hand, the collection still enthuses me. Being able to observe the real paintings reveals so much. Once again I admired how Greco makes me look towards the heaven with his multitiered religious compositions but also how he worked the outlines of his figures. Goya is an undeniable master of composition and mood but there seemed to be something wrong with the foreshortening of some arms and thighs, as if the limbs were slightly dislocated. Above all, Velazquez was the star of the visit: what a painter! I couldn't help admiring practically everything he has made.

On the other hand, the building could have been much better. It's not only that the crowds are not facilitated at critical points like the thoroughly disappointing entrance where brusque staff herds and hurries them, there were also few rooms in the museum where visitors could form some overview of their meanderings in relation to the galleries. Everyone relied too much on their little floor plans and still managed to pass the same rooms again and again. Of course, this gave opportunities to see stuff one might have missed the previous times, as the worst with the museum was that so many great works of art were positioned too close to each other, making me feel uncomfortable. There was precious little room and time to really appreciate each magnificent painting. One pace was often enough for something different to enter my field of vision and distract me from what I was enjoying, and in a crowded museum one can't often pick the perfect spot. So, while I'm thankful that they've gathered so much and made it available, I wonder why museums have grown into non-places: physical catalogues for quick browsing or physical swiping and do not afford a leisurely stroll through art.