Voces del Prado

A predilection for Las Meninas

Javier Solana Madariaga, Trustee of the Museo del Prado, 2019-What's on

I have a predilection for Las Meninas. Not only because it’s an extraordinary picture, but because I have seen it come alive. I have witnessed its rebirth and seen how it has recovered its colours. It’s true that we didn’t enjoy Las Meninas to the same extent when it was a darker picture, because we couldn’t see the reds, the blues that we can see today. I think that if I had to choose a picture like many other people, I’m sure many would agree with me that Las Meninas is a marvellous painting.
I walk past Las Meninas relatively frequently and I tend to pay attention to just one thing each time. I try to focus on a face, on the dog, or on some other thing, so that I observe the painting a little more and get to know it better.
I still have a great deal of work to do, but formally I am retired, so I organise my life differently. I always say that, now, I am doing the things I have always done and that I have always liked to do, but that I do them more slowly. That way I make the most of the time available and I enjoy it. Doing things slowly enables you to enjoy them more.