The Secret Language of Art at the Prado Museum

Madrid Experience organizes a different and unique tour of Madrid’s Prado Museum: a VIP tour centered on the hidden language of art. Out of all of our tours, this is the only one that comes with a parental advisory…Some people think that art is just about an image on canvas that was painted following one style or another. That a portrait was commissioned just to please the sitter, capture his or her beauty and, somehow, their personality and social standing.However, nothing happens in art just by chance, and our art specialist will show you how to read between the lines, unveiling the language behind a sketch or the message hidden in a particular composition. The true meaning of an egg placed next to a young woman, or a swan’s neck within a classical composition. They are all part of a secret code which only a few people could decipher. Many of the works of art we will see were commissioned by sect masters, religious groups or secret orders, who wanted to convey hidden messages, or preserve a censurable tradition. It is here where symbols, forms, postures, composition and several other visual aids take on a special importance. These “confidential” messages could only be understood by key people and they were represented in a way that was subtle enough to follow the religious and social tenets of their time. In many cases we are talking about the work of masters such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rubens or Velazquez.Madrid Experience’s Secret Language of Art Tour will make you look at paintings differently. You will start to see the things only few people can discern today. Duration: approximately 2 hours.