From Caravaggio to Bernini, the Baroque culmination in the Royal Palace

Caravaggio, the master of Baroque gloom and expressionism, is the introducer to this route of 72 paintings and sculptures made in Italy in the Seventeenth century, such as his Salomé with the Head of John the Baptist, which is considered to be his best-preserved work in Spain. It is an artistic dialogue with another master of religious art, Bernini, whose works such as Crucified Christ can be admired after they were brought from the Monastery of El Escorial for the occasion.

According to the exhibition curator, Gonzalo Redín, these works are of huge artistic quality and have an important historical value. Best of all, they can all be enjoyed in the elegant setting of the Royal Palace in Madrid. Tickets cost from 6 to 11 euros and can be bought here.

The exhibition is a journey back to the time of Italian Baroque, with the two aforementioned artists as well as painters from other schools, such as Bologna, Rome, Naples or Spain. The collections belong to the Spanish National Heritage and include a lot of works of the Neapolitan school due to the two centuries of Spanish presence in that territory. A particularly interesting feature is the attention dedicated to the two trips of Diego de Velázquez to Italy, which resulted in paintings such as Joseph’s Tunic, an example of how the Italian influence would shape his pictorial work from then onwards. Furthermore, there are works exhibited which were ordered to Velázquez on his second trip to Italy, which also made a big impression on his painting style.

You can find practical information on your visit here, with opening times being Monday to Sunday from 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. If you would like an even more complete visit, you can purchase a ticket that comprises visits to the Royal palace + “From Caravaggio to Bernini” exhibition + Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum + “Caravaggio and the Painters of the North” exhibition for just 17 euros.

Categories: Arte y cultura