Guernica

We had a day before the tour began, so went to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (or Reina Sofia Museum) to see Pablo Picasso's Guernica.

Guernica is a town in northern Spain. Spain was in the midst of a civil war, and Nazi Germany supported the right-wing ruler, Franco. The Nazis bombed Guernica in April 1937.  More info  here but I have also read that it gave them an opportunity to fine-tune the bombing of cities and civilians, information which was used during WWII.   

I never really got Picasso, with his mixed up faces etc.  But Guernica is in another league. It is instantly gripping.  It is a big work, all in monochrome - well greys and black and white.  Again there are mixed up faces, but this time here were mixed-up animals and objects as well - and everything was in very obvious agony. The spread of this agony was across the whole canvas.  I just stood there and took it all in, before even reaching for my camera.  

Won't look at Picasso in quite the same way. 

Some pics:

The painting

Other people looking...

And this is the entrance to the Museum.