The Master of the Prado is unputdownable

In 2019 while planning my artistic visit to Madrid with the sole intention of seeing Picasso’s Guernica in Reina Sophia’s Museum, my friend Peter insisted that I should visit the Prado too. He wrote the name of his favorite painting on a piece of paper and gave me directions on how to reach it.

I have to say that visiting the Prado made up for my initial disappointment on how small the Guernica was, even though Peter’s favorite painting was much smaller. It was the Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch, which mesmerises you by its tiny details. These fond memories of the Prado came back to me while reading The Master of the Prado by Javier Sierra (2013).

In this novel, Sierra uses first-person narrative to deliver a fictional tale. It’s set in the early 90s when Sierra was a university student in Madrid studying journalism. While visiting the Prado Museum, he bumps into Luis Fovel, an enigmatic character that takes upon himself the mission of sharing a few secrets about specific paintings in the Prado that he calls the Prophetic Paintings. These include Rafael Sanzio’s The Pearl, Transfiguration, and the School of Athens; Botticelli’s The Mystical Nativity and Nastagio DegliOnesti and many more.

Although most of these paintings are religious in nature-mostly bearing the figures of Jesus and Virgin Mary- yet there is more than meets the eye. According to Sierra, the painters had hidden messages in each, especially those of their own beliefs that they couldn’t express freely during the time of the inquisition, in fear of being deemed heretics. Those painters followed different schools of thought and many were progressive for their time; centuries later, art experts were able to unlock these secret messages.

To ensure the readers total immersion in the artistic experience, the book has photos of the artworks discussed and a little pamphlet that represents Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights inside and outside. It also zooms in on specific parts of different paintings, which is quite fascinating given the fact that these details are always overlooked by the general public.

The novel doesn’t only cover the art works, but also the history behind them as many of them were commissioned by Kings Charles V and his son Philip II in 16th century Spain. Although this historical period is fascinating yet its little-known to many, especially regarding these two patrons of arts and culture.

King Charles V - whose long title includes Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria - was a religious man who fought wars against the advancing Ottoman Empire and the spread of Martin Luther’s ideas of church reformations that started in Germany. He also commissioned many paintings of Titian. He abdicated the throne for his son and lived in a monastery till before his death in 1558.

Spain reached its Golden Age during the rule of Philip II and his Armada failed to invade England three times till after his death in 1598. Sierra succeeds in delivering a narrative that is interesting and nostalgic to many who remember the early 90s with its phone booths and Gulf War’s news.

The amount of research put in this novel is tremendous and is evident in each chapter, whether it’s discussing paintings or the history and circumstances influencing it. The ending has a surprising twist that somehow leaves the reader disappointed that the book has finished.

Javier Sierra (1971-) is best known for his international bestsellers The Secret Supper and The Lady in Blue. The Master of The Prado is his tenth novel and is thoroughly believable. Recommended for history and art lovers.