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The Prado Museum (Museo del Prado) is the biggest art museum in the world and one of Madrid's most famous attractions It was built in the late 1700s during the reign of Charles III, who wanted to create a spectacular monument in the city
Prado means “meadow” in Spanish It was named after its location To this day lush green meadows surround the museum

The museum was initially supposed to serve as a gallery of natural history Architect Villanueva designed the lofty domes and sunny interior These aspects are among the few that remain of the original plan

Construction halted after the Spanish War broke out The edifice was used by Spanish troops as a refuge, and consequently many items were destroyed or lost

Under Ferdinand VII, who succeeded Charles III, it was decided that the building would host an art gallery At that time it was named the Royal Museum of Painting and Sculpture It housed slightly over 1500 paintings in the 19th century, of which just 300 were on display and the rest in storage

After nationalization in Spain the museum became property of the government and was renamed to Museo del Prado It still maintains sovereign traditions, displaying a vast number of royal portraits, but also features pieces of contemporary art The museum was enlarged in 1918, and again in the 1950s and 1960s Today it displays 2000 paintings with another 8600 in storage, as the problem with space has not been fully resolved

Velazquez is considered one of the greatest painters that ever lived Experts maintain that he produced the largest quantity of superior art works His paintings are featured in many museums throughout the world He was born in Seville, the art capital of Spain In 1623 Felipe IV appointed him court painter at the court in Madrid He reached the apogee of his career while working there Velazquez is often referred to as "the painter of truth" As a court artist he produced many royal portraits, but his works reflecting themes of religion and mythology are superior in quality Among the works of this artist at the Prado are The Crucified Christ and The Drunkards
The Crucified Christ was produced around 1632 It exudes an air of serenity, reinforced by a severe black background that contrasts with the tense, illuminated body of Christ The Drunkards, alternatively known as The Triumph of Bacchus, marked an effort to adapt myth to everyday life The artist opted to surround the god of wine with peasants This painting is reminiscent of the works of Titian and Rubens

Garden of Earthly Delights trilogy     The Shootings of May 2nd    
Bartolome Esteban Murillo is another Seville native He was born in 1617 and lived in this city until his death Murillo's works are predominantly characterized by religious themes His works in the Prado include The Boys of the Shell, where he depicts Jesus giving St John a drink with little angels in the background, The Good Shepherd, and Immaculate of Crescent Moon Murillo created many works with themes of infants In The Good Shepherd he represents a child caressing a loving lamb

The most famous work by Hieronymus Bosch in the Prado is his Garden of Earthly Delights trilogy The three paintings are Paradise, Central Panel and Hell This is a genius work representing everyday people and myths Paradise depicts the Garden of Eden before the Fall The so-called Central Panel represents a variety of immoral activities performed by men and women In the age of Bosch it was believed that wantonness was the source of all sins It was also believed that women were entirely to blame for incidences of impiety and depravity Like Eve, they simply could not help themselves, being of frail and weak nature

The final part of the triptych, Hell, depicts a scene of sinners being punished for the way they lived their life Interestingly, the man at the centre of the painting is Bosch himself