Prado Museum Unveils AI-Powered Video Reimagining Masterpieces During Solar Eclipse
To honor the total solar eclipse occurring over Spain on Wednesday, the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid unveiled a one-minute audiovisual piece named 'El Prado a la luz del eclipse.' Accompanied by Vivaldi's 'Summer,' the video brings to life nearly twelve artworks, beginning with the shadow enveloping Diego Velázquez's 'Las Meninas' (1656) and showcasing Francisco Goya's 'El Quitasol' (1777) and 'La pradera de San Isidro' (1788). The museum praised Goya's exceptional skill in portraying light and shadows. From August 2026 to January 2028, the Iberian Peninsula will experience three solar eclipses, with the first total eclipse drawing visitors this Wednesday. Astronomer Pedro García Lario shared insights, while Ian Blatchford discussed the fusion of religious and scientific artistic expressions.
Key facts
- Museo Nacional del Prado released a new audiovisual work titled 'El Prado a la luz del eclipse'.
- The video reimagines famous paintings as if occurring during a solar eclipse.
- The one-minute video is soundtracked by Vivaldi's 'Summer' from The Four Seasons.
- The video animates nearly a dozen paintings, including works by Velázquez and Goya.
- The studio AMB Piensa created the video using AI and traditional graphics animation.
- The Iberian Peninsula will see three solar eclipses between August 2026 and January 2028.
- The first total solar eclipse occurs this Wednesday evening, the first in Spain in over a century.
- Pedro García Lario of the European Space Agency described the eclipse experience to Vogue.
Entities
Artists
- Jan Brueghel the Elder
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Diego Velázquez
- Francisco Goya
Institutions
- Museo Nacional del Prado
- European Space Agency
- Science Museum Group
- Vogue
Locations
- Madrid
- Spain
- Iberian Peninsula
- River Manzanares