Philippe Parreno Reconstructs Goya's House at Madrid's Prado

French-Algerian artist Philippe Parreno (born 1964 in Oran) presents 'La Quinta del Sordo,' a 40-minute video installation at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, running until September 4, 2022. The work reconstructs the now-vanished house and garden where Francisco de Goya created his Black Paintings between 1819 and 1824, before his exile to Bordeaux. Shot with ultra-high-speed cameras (500,000 frames per second) by Iranian cinematographer Darius Khondji, the film recreates the original acoustics of the space. The Prado emptied its Room 67 on the ground floor of the Villanueva building, moved Goya's canvases of May 2 and 3, 1808, to Room 75, painted the walls dark, and installed three rows of wooden cinema seats facing a large screen, with two dim, flickering lamps. The installation is supported by technology company Acciona. Parreno's interpretation explores the interplay of light, sound, and reflections from the oil paintings, magnifying abstract brushstrokes to reveal faces, gestures, shadows, and grimaces. The soundscape includes muffled continuous background noise, fire crackling, rain, wind, summer countryside buzz, and a dog's whimper, reflecting Goya's deafness. The film is shown five times daily (four on Sundays). Live cello performances bookend the screenings, though the reviewer found them accessory. The piece offers visitors an unexpected encounter with Goya's masterpieces through contemporary language.