Goya’s Shadow and the Art That Stays With You!
I was in my early 20s when I first visited Madrid, just a suitcase, my Nikon SLR and a bus full of companions from around the world heading to the beach. But I had other plans. While they chased sun and sand, I travelled in the opposite direction — straight toward the Museo del Prado. I already knew I’d be there all day.
Founded in 1819, the Prado Museum is one of the world’s greatest art institutions, housing over 8,000 paintings and 700 sculptures, including iconic works by Velázquez, Rubens, Titian, El Greco, and of course, Francisco Goya. Its collection spans centuries of Spanish and European art, but nothing could have prepared me for the impact of one painting.
In a dim gallery, spanning nearly an entire wall, hung The Third of May 1808 by Francisco Goya — a painting that has etched itself into my memory for life. Pictured above.
The size of it is arresting — overwhelming even — but it’s the emotion that floors you. The terrified man in white, arms flung open like a crucifix, illuminated against the dark, faceless soldiers raising their rifles. A brutal moment frozen in time. You don’t just view it — you feel it.
Painted in 1814, the work commemorates the Spanish resistance to Napoleon’s forces during the Peninsular War, capturing the horror and inhumanity of war in a way that feels timeless. It’s raw, unfiltered, almost cinematic. I stood there for what felt like an hour. The silence, the tension, the tragedy — it was like a visual scream.
I left the Prado that day deeply moved. While many remember Madrid for its food, parks, and palaces — for me, it will always be the place where Goya shook me to the core.
From Madrid to Athens – I wanted to include a picture I took on a very recent trip to Athens, Greece where I was lucky to bump into the art crush of my life, a reproduced Third of May in the form of a tapestry. This was showing in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, Greece. Finding this tapestry just brought back all the wonderful memories I have, taking me back to my 20s when I was in the El Prado Museum with Goya. What a joy to discover this beauty again in a completely different form, and its colours just as vibrant as the painting!
So many European Masters featured at the El Prado, it takes your breath away. This iconic painting below housed at El Prado is another favourite – by El Greco titled “The Resurrection”.
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