The Prado Museum has released a video showing how the solar eclipse on August 12 will transform the lighting of some of the most important works in its permanent collection.
The one-minute video, titled “The Prado in the Light of the Eclipse,” combines digital creation techniques, artificial intelligence, and graphic intervention to explore the role of light in the artistic experience and “invite the public to rediscover these paintings through new atmospheres, nuances, and visual contrasts,” as the museum explained.
Among the works selected for the project are Velázquez’s “Las Meninas” and “The Forge of Vulcan”; Goya’s “The Meadow of San Isidro” and “The Parasol”; Rubens’ “Sight”; Claude Lorrain’s “The Embarkation of Saint Paula of Rome”; and Albrecht Dürer’s “Self-Portrait.”
The selection is completed by Carlos de Haes’ “The Canal de Mancorbo in the Picos de Europa.” ‘The Surrender of Bailén’ by José Casado de Alisal; ‘Jacob’s Dream’ by José de Ribera; and ‘The Birth of the Sun and the Triumph of Bacchus’ by Corrado Giaquinto. Each of these works is reinterpreted under the characteristic light of a solar eclipse, which subtly alters the contrasts, shadows, and color temperature of the compositions.
The project was conceived as an outreach tool that seeks to bring the museum’s collections closer to new audiences. According to the museum, the proposal highlights how light influences the interpretation of a work and how a change in its conditions can radically transform its visual atmosphere.