Lines with art: Line 6, a route from university murals to "Planeta Arganzuela", through the Miocene of Carpetana

You already know that at Crazy About Metro we love art and, for this reason, today we propose a little journey through some of the most precious treasures of our Line 6, the circular Metro line. There is a lot to see, but we are going to focus on 5 stations we think are fantastic. And if you still want more of the art of L6 art, you know you can find everything in our Cultural Guide

July 05 2023

University City

We start our tour on the circular Metro line, L6, at Ciudad Universitaria. In the direction of the platforms there is a striking mural entitled "Nature Shines". It is the work of Paola León and reflects the forces of nature through a play of lively and dynamic colours.

Artwork of Paola León at Ciudad Universitaria station

And in the entrance hall of Ciudad Universitaria, in front of the turnstile line, there is a large mural showing the red silhouette of the characteristic horseman of Plaza del Paraninfo of Complutense University in clean, clear colours. In addition to this figure, the author of the mural J. Herrera, uses other elements such as books, numbers, letters and work utensils to reflect ordinary life at the university, with striking colours that also serve to identify a star representing the Community of Madrid.

Mural in the entrance hall of Ciudad Universitaria

Alto de Extremadura

Let's continue... Manuel Barbero Richart is the artist who gave life to the work that presides over the lobby of Alto de Extremadura, a mural divided into four parts, from which figures scattered over the mass of background colour emerge.

Mural in the hall of Alto de Extremadura

Lucero

And as we like bright colours, let's continue our tour through the Lucero station. It¡s hall is decorated with a colourful mural in simple strokes, showing barely sketched faces and various silhouettes of women, men and children. Against a white background, the figures stand out for their vivid tones, with orange, blue and green predominating.

The Mural of Lucero station is decorated with simple lines of bright colors

Carpetana

During the remodelling works of the Carpetana station, palaeontological remains from the Miocene were discovered, which have made it possible to reconstruct the palaeoenvironments that existed 14 and 15 million years ago. The work carried out and the findings are explained in an exhibition featuring reproductions of some remains and a complete mastodon. In addition, the station's corridors are decorated with illustrations showing what the animals that populated Madrid millions of years ago were like.

Mural of Carpetana station

Arganzuela-Planetario

Finally, we have Arganzuela-Planetario and we take a look at the universe thanks to the work "Planeta Arganzuela", by Carlos Alonso and Luis Sardá, which pays tribute to the Planetarium. Starting from a large aerial photograph of Madrid, the authors focused on Parque Tierno Galván and created a sphere resembling a celestial body 5 metres in diameter, with the Planetarium at its centre. Several planets of different sizes and colours hang from the station’s ceiling and are found at different levels, joining this planet to form a solar system.

Atwork 'Planeta Arganzuela', by Carlos Alonso and Luis Sardá