Exhibition «The Painting of Hunger»

The Museo del Prado is opening an exhibition centred on a single painting and its journey of almost two centuries. The focus is José Aparicio’s work «The Year of Hunger in Madrid» (1818), whose fate proved as revealing as the scene it depicts.

The project traces how the work, which was once the subject of heated debate and enjoyed great notoriety, gradually disappeared from the artistic landscape. Today, it is perceived more as a historical relic linked to Madrid than as part of the established canon of Spanish painting.

In the first half of the 19th century, the painting attracted the attention of the public and critics, appeared in the press and crossed the boundaries of painting, finding an echo in literature and theatre. It lived on in various forms of cultural interpretation in its time.

Later, interest in it faded and the work was relegated to the background of the museum and research agenda. Its journey ended in 1927, when it was transferred to the Museo de Historia de Madrid.

In the exhibition, Aparicio’s work is compared with those of José de Madrazo and Francisco de Goya. This juxtaposition makes it possible to examine the artistic environment of the early 19th century from different perspectives and observe how the status of works changes over time and why some images become established in art history, while others are gradually relegated to the background.

The exhibition is available until 13 September.