(Continuing from Part 1 – Intro to the Prado…)

Entering the museum through the “Puerta Alta de Goya” (at the top of the stairs outside, so on the first floor), look at your map and head (counter-intuitively) for the basement first (numbers 100-102 on the map) by crossing the entire first floor (24-32) and descending the two flights of stairs. The “Tesoro del Delfín” basement collection is a wonderful amalgamation of pots, vases and other interior decoration that is too easily forgotten among the bombastic paintings above ground.

Move up one flight of stairs and turn left, heading into 72. Numbers 71-74 form a selection of classical sculpture, nice for fans and certainly interesting on account of its not being painting. Turn left after entered 74, and have a brief look at the Italian painters in 75 (remember not to linger!) Cross 47 into 49, disregarding its Italian paintings for a moment; you will come back here later. Turn right (55B) and be surprised by the contrast between Italian and German painting. Straight ahead into 55, turn left (during my last visit, there was no other choice as the “A” rooms on the map were shut off) and pass the mildly interesting Flemish paintings in 56 and 57, turning left again into 57B, and again left into 56B. Don’t go straight ahead, you’ve already been there! Turn right, and you’re back among the Italian paintings of Rafael in 49. Turn right again, cross 50, and: congratulations, you’ve completed 2 out of 4 floors!

Take a hard left, and ascend the stairs: you’re back where you started. Cross the hall into 4; to your left, there is quite a bit of forgettable French painting leading to a dead end. Unfortunately, the paintings by Claude at the far end are gorgeous (now that’s what I call merchandising), so move quickly into number 2 and back again. Straight ahead (5-6) brings you slightly more interesting Italian painting, leading to the only “Dutch room” in the Prado (7). Being the traitor to my country that I am, I couldn’t care less, and move left and immediately right to have a glance at Tiziano (7A-8A). This leads you to the intriguing paintings of El Greco (9A-10A), definitely worth a look. Turning right into 10, this is where Rubens starts. Take another right, crossing 9 and 8, and left again into 8B (not straight ahead, or you’ll be in the Dutch room again). Another left brings you to 9B, and a subsequent right takes you back to the hallway that you have seen before (you can skip 10B, don’t worry).

This is the “heart” of the Prado, littered with Spanish masters. Turn left and have a brief look at 26 and 27, preludes to the big names (forget 25 for the moment). Another left brings you into the realm of Velázquez, impressive if only for the big octagonal room he occupies. There’s more of him when you take a right (14-15), but keep in mind that this part is essentially a dead end: after making a circle, you will have to cross Velázquez again to get back into the grand hallway. When there, go left and start overdosing on Goya: it is more or less the last artist of your Power Tour. Have a quick peek into 16B, and drift through 29 and 32, where you turn right into 35-38. In my opinion, the round Goya paintings here are most worth your attention. Move into the hallway when in 37, and, if you’re up for it, peek into 39 on your right. Then, straight ahead and up the stairs to your right. These lead you to 85, where a happier and more colourful Goya greets you. Take advantage of this joyful spell, move into the hallway and turn right: rooms 90-94 will show you similar Goya paintings. Had you turned left, you would have visited 86-89, a salad bowl of paintings hard to categorize and even harder to recommend. Forget them, and leave with the colours of Goya in your head, moving down the stairs again and along the grand hallway back to where your coat is hanging.

At this point: pat yourself on the back – you have survived the Prado!

Fitting into a three-hour-or-so visit, you can start on the second (top) floor and work your way down chronologically. I like to play “spot the donor” with the older paintings. Continue for some fine Renaissance portraits, including the famous Ghirlandaio portrait of Giovanna Tornabouni.

The collection boasts many Flemish and Dutch masterpieces. Keep your eyes peeled for some Spanish painters: Ribera, Zurburán, El Greco and Goya (just a handful of them compared to the Prado). There are also many fine examples the 19th century American painting, especially landscapes.

I’m biased toward the lettered wings on the first and second floors over the numbered rooms, for whatever reason. Perhaps it’s how the spaces are connected, allowing one to glimpse this beauty from several rooms afar.

The impressionist, post-impressionist, and expressionist rooms are utterly transporting: among them are works by Pisarro, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Hassam, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec and Van Gogh. On the ground floor, you can catch works by Picasso, Miró, Kandinsky, Dalí and Lichtenstein.

Despite not filling a clear niche, this is a must-see museum. Main collection tickets are 6 €/4€ for students and senior citizens, and 9€/5€ to see the general collection and temporary exhibit.

Metro: Banco de España. Paseo del Prado, 8. See map below:

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Right, the Prado. Without a doubt, this is Madrid’s business card for art lovers – or any bus load of tourists, really. Known throughout the world as a must-visit, the museum contains a wide array of paintings up until the 18th century, with a strong focus on the Holy Trinity of Spanish painters (being Goya, Velázquez and El Greco). Flanking its very own avenue (indeed, the “Paseo del Prado”), the sheer volume of art presented to the public is overwhelming in its own right.

And this is exactly one of the Prado’s problems. No matter the sophistication of your art stamina, Madrid’s most lauded museum simply contains too much. I myself generally call it a day after 1½ hours max, and have a strong preference for anything exhibition-related to be a one-hour affair. Now, these numbers may vary from visitor to visitor, but regardless of your art-absorbing capabilities, I tend to propose a “Power Prado” tour, either as an orientation or as a means to tick the mother of Madrid museums off your list.

So, to turn your visit into a Power Tour, remember the following:

The key to the Prado, in my humble opinion, is strategy. The building lacks a clear structure, which may lead to you getting lost, coming across the same works twice or three times, thereby wasting valuable time and energy. Upon entering, get yourself one of those maps (Plano del Museo) and keep it handy at all times. Before embarking on your tour, please remind yourself to keep up the pace. Walk briskly, and try not to linger in places; this breaks your strategy and eats away your scarce energy resources – if necessary, mark the interesting spots on your plano and save them for a follow-up visit. Whenever encountering an art form that is not painting, savour it – they are few and far between, and will recharge your batteries for paintings yet to come. And, strange as it may seem, start with the basement (sótano) and move your way up systematically to the second floor (planta segunda) so as to build up momentum for the great Goya.

Next in our Prado series: the ‘Full Prado Power Tour’

www.museodelprado.es
Opening times and admission details
Metro: Banco de España. Address: Paseo del Prado, see map below:

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Image of Prado courtesy Montrealais,Wikipedia