REFLECTIONS OF THE COSMOS IN THE MUSEO DEL PRADO

Art, in perfect symbiosis with science, has documented the shifts in our perception of the cosmos over the centuries. This itinerary proposes a journey through 21 works from the Prado National Museum’s permanent collection which reflect this profound and wonderful exchange of views.
The silent beauty of the cosmos hides secrets that have fascinated mankind for millennia. Astronomical phenomena, such as the course of day and night, the seasons and the tides, have always determined our way of life. The constellations are where we situate the home of our gods. To predict world events, we study the path of the planets through the Zodiac. By observing stars, we are also able to measure time, design calendars and orient ourselves when traveling. The first philosophers of nature undertook the enormous task of dispelling myth and legend from our view of the cosmos. They believed that events occurring in the universe weren’t the outcome of arbitrary decisions by fickle gods, but rather that the universe was governed by laws that could be discovered with rational thinking. Scientists would continue this legacy and would try to provide the best explanation of the world as it is at each moment in time.