While travelling to Spain this year, I decided to have a cultural de-tour and head to Madrid for a few days. Well, I always had Madrid in mind as it has two destinations that I’d always dreamt of visiting: The Prado and The Reina Sophia museums.
If I ever kept a bucket list like the rest of my friends, then the two master pieces I wanted to see most were: the Guernica by Picasso and the Meninas by Velazquez.
I arrive to Madrid in the evening and I’m welcomed with a cold, rainy weather. It depresses me as I had just left Andalucía’s warmth. The next day I start my cultural trip by taking the metro and heading to the Art Station where the two museums are.
Luckily, the Metro system is not as complicated as the one in London and I manage to arrive straight without getting lost. In front of the huge building of the Reina Sophia museum, I meet my Madrilenian friend Victor and his family.
They were kind enough to have obtained me a free ticket to see the Guernica. We head straight to the second floor where the painting is.
The whole floor is dedicated to the Spanish civil war. Haunting images of poverty-stricken Spanish children that fled to Russia fills a wall, along with portraits of Franco and his generals who led the war. The mood is sombre as you walk through rooms that has different memorabilia and short films that were shot at the time such as Bruñel’s Land without Bread (1933) till you reach Picasso’s hall.
There you are met with different paintings most notably the pre-sketches of the Guernica. And lo’ and behold, the Guernica is right in front of you (along with fifty spectators and frowning security guards that kept shouting: no photos or videos in this hall!).
I stand in front of the painting for almost ten minutes and with a sigh I decide to leave the hall to discover the rest of the museum.
To my delight, I’m met with a collection of Dali’s and Miro’s paintings which I’m familiar with. The museum offers a wide range of contemporary arts and the history behind different movement (abstract, cubism, surrealism...etc) along with temporary art exhibitions from around the world.
The next day, I head to the Prado and I’m astounded by how massive the building is. After queuing for fifteen minutes, I get to enter and witness the magic of classical art. Every hall you enter offers you masterpieces done by Caravaggio, El Greco, Goya, Rafael, Ribera, Titan and Velazquez.
It’s an eye feast of colours, textures and images that look at you questioningly (I have to confess that for a minute I imagined being locked in this maze of art, trying desperately to get out!).
Immense paintings on the walls outside the halls makes you feel like a midget who fell in the giant’s treasure chest. Images I only got to see in books and postcards are right in front of me such as Goya’s 2nd and 3rd of May, Rafael’s Cardinal and Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights.
After four hours walk and excruciating leg pain, I get to see the Meninas! The crowd around me shares the excitement and for what seems like ages, we stare silently at the girls who stare back at us along with Velazquez. The magic spell is shattered when an American asks loudly if anyone has a mirror. Everyone stares at him with great annoyance before shuffling out of the hall and I follow them limping. It’s time to go home!
Rasha al Raisi is a certified skills trainer and the author of: The World According to Bahja. rashabooks@yahoo.com
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