Jonathan Montoya ’18
El Museo Del Prado
El Museo Del Prado was by far my favorite museum of all the ones I visited while abroad. It featured famous works of art by many of Spain’s greatest artists from Salvador Dali to El Greco to Velazquez. However, what I found to be most incredible was El Prado’s collection of works by my favorite artist, Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. I was able to see pieces of his that I had learned so much about in my Spanish Art Class. The way El Prado organized his works of art was the best part. Goya’s works started off as very happy, he saw the world through a lens of positivity, and this was reflected in his art. This entire collection was on the top floor of El Prado and it was shown in rooms that were very well lit. After Goya lost his hearing he became a lot more negative and his art took a very dark turn. His paintings started featuring surrealist scenes painted with very dark colors which were a 180 from when his career started. These paintings became known as the dark paintings and El Prado keeps the collection on the bottom floor in rooms that are very dark. This may sound meaningless, but if you have learned even a bit about the transformation Goya went through then it can tie it all together. This was just one of many experiences abroad that helped me grow as both a scholar and a person. I would like to thank the Givens family once again for affording me the opportunity to further my learning while abroad. Many of my favorite experiences without their help would never have been remotely possible.
