Erotic impact: The back of Martin van Meytens' “Kneeling Nun” from 1731 was only shown to a few guests by Sweden's ambassador in Paris.
Image: Stockholm National Museum
If you turn the picture over, you will see the nun's naked bottom: an exhibition in Madrid's Prado reveals the hidden rear views of famous paintings.
So No Prado visitor has ever seen Velázquez's most famous work. In Madrid, the first thing you see is the back of the “Meninas”. You can see a detailed reconstruction of the canvas and the frame with all the stains and scratches: To really get to know pictures, you have to approach them from all sides like an archaeologist. In Madrid, the “Reversos” exhibition, which shows all the paintings from behind for the first time, opens up a new world.
The exhibition concept is inspired by the front of Diego Velázquez's masterpiece. The painter himself stands next to the “Meninas”, the maids of honor and Princess Margarita. With a brush and palette in his hand, he looks at a large canvas that can only be seen from behind. He's probably painting the exact scene we're seeing. A motif that also fascinated Rembrandt. “The Artist in His Studio” shows him in a similar pose. Goya and van Gogh also painted them similarly.
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