Nearby was the Prado and the Reina Sofia art gallery home to many of Picasso’s paintings including the Guernica* his controversial painting of the Spanish Civil War.
* Guernica is a painting by Pablo Picasso. It was created in response to the bombing of Guernica, Basque Country, by German and Italian warplanes at the behest of the Spanish Nationalist forces, on 26 April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Republican government commissioned Picasso to create a large mural for the Spanish display at the Paris International Exposition at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris.
Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. On completion Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to the world's attention.
Dinner was shaping up as another gruesome twosome. We returned to the same tapas precinct that we went to the night before intending to try some of the delicacies we missed previously. Good plan, but as we cosied up to some other people we got chatting. One thing led to another and despite the fact that they were from Iceland (we think it was, but do they speak Spanish there?) and could hardly speak any English, we had an amazing few hours with them sharing their wine and food - they were extremely generous with both, wanting us to try more "typical" tapas. It was funny and really entertaining despite the language difficulties.
A quiet start
A not so quiet finish!
How fabulous to make friends wherever you go!
ReplyDelete