The Prado Museum of Madrid

arrives for the first time in Colombia.

"The Prado in Bogotá" is an open-air

didactic exhibition composed of life-size

photographic reproductions of 53 works

selected among the most important and

significant in the Museum's collection.

Among these we can find "The 3rd of May in Madrid" by Francisco de Goya, "Doña Isabel

the Catholic dictating her well" by Eduardo Rosales, the portrait of "María Tudor" by

Antonio Moro, and "Carlos V" by Tiziano Vecellio. In the following paragraphs, we will

try to give a little analysis and description of these incomparable and amazing paintings

together with a bit of the historical context behind each of them, and of course, the

relationship that these paintings entail will be explained.

In the first place, there is "the 3rd

of May in Madrid" or "The executions",

which is a painting by the Aragonese

painter Francisco de Goya, finished in

1814 and kept in the Museo del Prado

(Madrid, Spain). Goya represents, in an

oil on canvas with a pre-romantic style,

two crucial themes, which complement

each other visually and have a common meaning: the violent attack of the people of Madrid

on Murat's troops on the morning of May 2 and the consequent reprisal of the French army.
Place only those executed and their little visible captors in the picture. Here the scenic force

rests at the moment before the execution and not in the instants of it, this is why the

painting portrays a scene full of drama, because you can notice the fear reflected in

different ways in each of those that go to be shot, for example, is the religious in an attitude

of prayer and the man in the white shirt who has resigned himself to his early death. You

can even categorize the characters into three classes: those already dead, those who are

being shot and those who are waiting their turn. Usually a picture could be expected to

praise the hero as the protagonist of the painting, but in this case, protagonism falls into the

hands of those who are being shot, that is, the victims, thus reaching the lowest stratum of

violence showing no sign of mercy or pity on the part of the attackers. Also, you can

admire a soft and tenuous light in the front, and in the background, the silhouette and the

contour of some buildings showing that dawn is approaching.

On the other hand, there is "Doña Isabel the Catholic dictating her well" which is

the best-known painting of the Spanish purist painter Eduardo Rosales, being completed in

the year 1864. Rosales symbolizes in

this historical painting, the moment in

which Queen Isabel dictates her

testament on her deathbed, probably

agonizing. It can be called a mortuary

scene, which was painted with an oil

technique on canvas representing a

realistic style. So, in the gloom of the

dying Queen Elizabeth's bedroom, she

orders with her hand an indication of her last will, which dictates to someone beside her

bed. To her left, with her back on a small oratory, sits what seems to be her husband,

majesty King Ferdinand, with a lost look and absorbed thought. Standing next to him, her

daughter Juana remains, with her hands clasped and her gaze lowered. At the end of the

bed, the queen is accompanied in her last moments by several members of her court and

some faithful servants of her. It is possible to capture in the faces of the different characters

attending the act the subtlest nuances of their feelings, as well as the particular reaction of

each one of them before the words of the queen, in which it was slowly ordering nothing

less than the future of her throne.

Therefore, there is "María Tudor, Queen of England,

second wife of Felipe II" which is a painting by Antonio Moro

with an oil technique on wood, finished in 1554, with a

dimension of 109 high by 84 cm wide. Moro personifies a

royal portrait of Maria Tudor, without becoming a full body,

which is holding a red rose in the right hand, and her jeweled

gloves on the left. The painter shows the queen in a red velvet

armchair, very much of the time, a symbol of sovereignty.

Maria Tudor wears a gray suit with a dark purple coat,

modeling her neck, wrists, and waist covered with valuable pearls, jewels and precious

stones symbolizing the fact of being part of royalty. In a certain way, Moro managed to

embellish and dignify the unattractive aspect of the queen by also presenting her tense and

somewhat rigid attitude, managing to express the strength of her character and personality

in the face of adversity. Contextualizing a bit, Maria Tudor was the only child of Henry
VIII of England and Catherine of Aragon. She was declared a bastard when the King

repudiated her mother, and after her half-brother, Edward VI died, in October 1553 she was

proclaimed queen, restoring the Catholic faith. It represents the English queen, who was

Felipe II's second wife thanks to a wedding arranged for political reasons; proof of this is

the gold ring on his left hand, which is her wedding ring. The marriage lasted only four

years, since she died, in November 1558, while her husband was fighting in France.

Finally, we have "Charles V at the Battle of

Mühlberg" which is a picture painted in oil on canvas

by the Venetian painter Tiziano Vecellio in 1548. It has

a dimension of 335 cm high by 283 cm wide. It is an

equestrian portrait commemorating the victory of

Charles V over the Smalkalda League at the Battle of

Mühlberg on April 24, 1547. It shows the emperor on

horseback, held in front of the river Elbe; and behind

him, only a forest. In his face the victory seems to be

read, carrying a long spear, and armor to show Carlos as

a Christian knight par excellence, but also a symbol of

power. As a historical context, the court did not want to project an image of Charles as the

champion of Catholicism or an arrogant winner of his own subjects, but instead an emperor

capable of governing a heterogeneous set of states and religions, in his attempt to

approximate Catholics and Protestants. This is why the painting can be interpreted as, what

seems to be a sunset, where only Carlos is with his horse and no appearance or
representation of the defeated enemies, hinting as a total propaganda of political interest to

show victory over the Protestants.

In conclusion, you can see a relationship with the theme of royalty in each of these

paintings, representing different situations of everyday life such as the death of someone

important, and similarly, of historical context, as is violence or the war on the part of two

sides, and on the other hand, the victory of one of these. Also, knowing a bit of the history

behind each painting can be achieved to make a more accurate interpretation of what each

author or painter wanted to reflect with his artistic creation, and of course, make his own

interpretation. Considering all these things, it is recommended to visit the Prado Museum in

Madrid to see the original paintings or you can also visit, currently, the Plaza de Bolívar in

Bogotá, in which there is an exhibition of these and more other reproductions of this type.