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Plaza Mayor

Took the fast train from Valencia to Madrid (first class no less and only 6 euros more). the train is gorgeous and travels as fast as 300Km/hour. That’s 185 MPH!! Made it to Madrid in less than two hours in quiet and comfort.
My B and B is just next to the Plaza Mayor and on the forth floor with an elevator thank goodness. I got settled and then went for a walk to just see the neighborhood. Much more frenetic than either Valencia or Barcelona the sidewalks are crowded but this time not just with tourists. Lots more cars and things seemed louder inn this much bigger city.

Hustle and bussel.

I ended up back at my room very tired after a night of not much sleep because of a dog next door that was crying the entire night. Had a quick bite and made it an early night.

Monday May 22nd.

Took one of those free walking tours I find in every city. You don’t pay upfront but can give what you like at the end. I usually give them ten Euros and while the tours aren’t great they do give you a basic overview of the neighborhood. Our guide ended our tour with an impassioned speech about how her fellow Millennials had to leave Spain after the crash in 2008, and almost 50% unemployment, but it gave them a chance to see other parts of Europe and come back with new ideas. She does not like the political parties but is hopeful people are becoming more organized and voting. I walked to the Reina Sofia Contemporary museum that had a great Picasso show to go along with their crown jewel Guernica which I hadn’t seen since it was returned to Spain, from NYC in the 80s.

Guernica.

Even the mobs couldn’t take away from the masterpiece and I found it even more moving now that I had visited Catalonia where so much of the fighting had taken place during the civil war. They had a little room with photos of the painting as Picasso was working on it. It was amazing to see all the changes that took place from beginning to end. Quite a process of discovery for the artist as he worked and evolved his ideas.
The rest of the exhibition were some excellent works leading up to this period when he did this painting and the aftermath the painting had on his ideas and the work that followed. They did not permit photos of the exhibition so it was great to see people actually looking at the work rather than documenting it for their social media pages. great show!!

Tuesday May 23rd, The Prado.

Me with Goya in front of the Prado.

Off to the Prado Museum arriving on tome for my 10am opening. BTW folks always buy your ticket online and avoid standing in line with the rabble. They even had a special entry for prepaid tickets.
Really here for Velazquez and the Goyas and did they deliver! Lots of both, in fact there were so many Goyas that I lost interest with the bright lightly colored “sweet ones” on the third floor that were studies for tapestries.

I found Las Meminas by Valasquez and it wasn’t even that mobbed this early. For me this is a piece about composition rather than painting. The quirks of the piece: whose reflected in the mirror? Who is that i silhouetted in the doorway. The dwarf amongst the children of the painting and, of course, there’s Velazquez with his brush and canvas starring out at us, the viewer, or is he? Picasso did 53 painting based on this work – I saw them in Barcelona – as have thousands of artists over the years. It’s the questions that this painting raises rather than the virtuosity of the painting that carries the piece. If you want to see paint handling you look at the rest of the room filled with equestrian and portraits of the the ugliest monarchs in Europe. What a waste of talent! I didn’t know BTW that photos were forbidden so I got off one with me and Les Meminas before I was shut down.

Just like Valasquez I include myself in the composition.

So sorry! And I mean that sincerely. All the photos in this post are from google who provides higher quality than I could ever shoot with my phone.

As good as Velazquez proved to be at painting. Goya truely has him beat with subject. The black paintings which were originally painted directly on the walls of his home are amazing painting, composition, and because he was only try to please himself, subject.

One of the “Black Paintings.”

My favorite was a small section of two old men eating.

Old men eating.

The faces are amazing and the paint handling virtuoso as Francis Bacon. The one of Saturn eating his child is positively ghoulish and would make a great Halloween image.