KEY POINTS:
In the cavernous Prado Museum, with its three floors of masterpieces, I am looking at art from a new perspective.
Thanks to our guide, Isabel de Almeida, the intrigue and humour behind the apparently respectful works of the great Spanish court painters is revealing itself.
Prado is one
of three great art museums within five minutes walk in the heart of Madrid. It was built as a natural history museum: the 2000 works on display (from a collection of 8500) are too many to take in in one visit or three.
There are masterworks everywhere you turn (but the place is so big there is space for individual appreciation) - from the Spanish, French, Italian, German and Flemish schools and galleries within galleries dedicated to Goya, El Greco, Ribera, Murillo and Velazquez.
As our time is limited, we are concentrating on Velazquez (1599-1660), Goya (1746-1828) and their contemporaries on the second floor. Headsets are available, but there's nothing like an expert from Madrid Tourism who knows her art and her Spanish history to explain the nuances.
We linger over Maids of Honour to ponder its breakthrough use of perspective. The scene at first glance looks ordinary enough: young Princess Margarita attended by her maids in a portrait room of the royal palace. But the more you look the more is revealed. To the princess' left, Velazquez has painted himself painting a portrait. The subjects, the King and Queen, are reflected in a mirror behind him. But the viewer's eye is drawn to the Queen's attendant, silhouetted in a rear doorway, observing proceedings.
A disturbing subject is Goya's The Shootings of May 3rd, about the execution of Madrid's defenders by Napoleon's troops, an early example of propaganda. Isabel wants us to see this before we head across the road to Reina Sofia, Madrid's great collection of modern art including the likes of Picasso, Dali and Miro.
The showpiece is Picasso's Guernica, his thinly veiled attack on the German bombing during the Spanish Civil War of the undefended town which is the seat of Basque power. Sure enough, Picasso pays homage to Goya in depicting the horror of the event.
A nearby annex has a fascinating photographic record of the developing masterpiece shot by his lover, photographer Dora Marr.
There is great sculpture as well, including Picasso's collaboration with Julio Gonzalez, Woman in a Garden.
We didn't have time to visit the third of Madrid's artistic pinnacles, the Thyssen-Bournemisza, with its eclectic collection of 1000 works dating from the 13th century.
But what's apparent is that Madrilenos are blessed with an abundance of quality art to match their obsession with food.
* Geoff Cumming visited Spain as a guest of Turespana.
For more information see www.tourspain.es
