Madrid Choice Art

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For the art of my choice, I chose these two paintings by Juan de Sevilla that I saw at the Prado Museum. I had to take some sneaky pictures of them, but I thought they were super interesting! The first one called “Martyrdom of Saint Catherine” looks very chaotic and shows angels breaking the wheels next to Saint Catherine. There is definitely a triangle being made here! The three circles of the wheels and the circle around Saint Catherine's head make a triangle pointing towards her head. Not to mention there is also a person pointing to her head from the window behind her! The second one called “Beheading of Saint Catherine” is very colorful and I really liked all the different shapes going on in the painting and the way her hair is painted! 


I think that this painting is important historically because it is portraying the story of Saint Catherine. I didn’t know the story of Saint Catherine before coming to Madrid and it is actually a very interesting story! I did some research and learned the stories behind these two paintings are from when the emperor Maxentius wanted her killed, he first tried to have her killed by using the breaking wheel to pull her body apart, but when Catherine touched the wheel it miraculously shattered to pieces. Because of this he then ordered her beheading and there was a legend that her hair continued to grow even after her death, which I think is why her hair is painted that way! This painting holds a lot of history in its depiction and it is also important to the culture and religion in Madrid.  


This painting is important for Madrid's status as a cultural capital because it is one of the many paintings by Juan de Sevilla in the Prado Museum and it is a very popular place for tourists to visit. By having a museum like the Prado it allows lots of people to come and learn about the many important painters from Madrid and also other artists that are important to the history of Madrid. This painting shows the importance of preserving history through art and the telling of people's stories in a way that future generations will be able to see and learn from.







Comments

  1. Sam RichardsonMay 19, 2024 at 1:24 PM

    Hey Betsy, this is such a great post! I really like how you pointed out Madrid's dedication to preserving history through art. This is such an important thing for a city to do to be considered a cultural capital. The sheer amount of museums full of art and culture solidify in my head how much of a cultural capital Madrid really is!

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  2. Lilly PetersonMay 19, 2024 at 3:07 PM

    Betsy Belle J I'm loving this! I like that you talk about the variety of artists that are shown in the Prado museum. I think that really shows that the culture of Madrid is diverse. I also love what you said about how these paintings tell a story in a way that future generations will understand, because I think that is an important part of a cultural capital. It needs the ability to stay relevant!

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  3. Anna's Study Abroad 2024May 19, 2024 at 3:18 PM

    I liked how you talked about how this plays a role in sharing art of the past and keeping it alive to teach and instruct new artists. I thought that this was a very neat idea in the fact that it is still useful and relevant. I agree and I would add that it contributes to the artistic reputation of the museum as a whole, especiallly because of the unique style. and so therefore draws people in!

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  4. GchipmanMay 21, 2024 at 1:15 PM

    Epic women’s religious history choice Betsy!!! St Catherine is such a fascinating story I learned a lot from your post. I think the amount of portrayals of Catholic Saints in the museums and churches points to how Catholicism is an important part of Spanish culture. Although not a portrayal of a Spanish scene, this story was familiar to Spanish people and shows how important the stories are to them As a cultural capital religion has a big influence on everyday life and art.

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  5. Sienna PuckrinMay 26, 2024 at 1:01 PM

    Hey Betsy! Your post mentions how art is created for the telling of stories to future generations. This is a great connection to Madrid being a cultural capital as stories and traditions are at the heart of Madrid. A city with unique qualities and traditions is at the heart of what makes a cultural capital great.

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  6. Meg KiehlJune 13, 2024 at 2:23 PM

    Betsy, I really liked this post. I thought the Prado Museum was one of the best art museums we visited. I like how you went into such deep descriptions of Juan De Sevilla’s two pieces. I think his work and the Prado Museum help to make Madrid one of the world’s cultural capitals because of all the well known artists like Sevilla who are featured there. Great post!

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