A work, a story: The Famine Painting

The exhibition 'A work, a story' at the Museo Nacional del Prado centers on the monumental painting 'The Year of Hunger in Madrid' (1818) by José Aparicio. This oversized canvas, measuring 315 x 437 cm, was once a centerpiece of the museum during the reign of Ferdinand VII, even eclipsing works by renowned artists like Francisco de Goya.

The exhibition encourages viewers to reflect on art history through this specific work, which depicts the tragic Madrid famine of 1811-12. The painting served as a political allegory of Spanish loyalty and absolutism. This presentation marks the return of the 'hunger painting' to the Prado, featuring an ambitious restoration that has improved the work's stability and legibility while exploring its historical rise and subsequent fall in popularity.