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1930s/1940s: Understand the true horror of the Picasso painting
1930s/1940s: Understand the true horror of the Picasso painting
Anetxu lives with her mother in a small house – her mother refers to her simply as ‘girl’ and both mentally and physically abuses her. Her brother is dead and her father out fighting the Facists.
One day she meets a young boy, Mathias, who has recently moved to Guernica due to his father’s job in a theatre. He walks with a limp and Anetxu becomes his friend. Mathias’s father is Basque wheras his mother is a German Jew and so Mathias supports the anti – Facisit cause. However despite their differences, Ani and Mathias become friends.
One day when they are both at the theatre, they over hear Mathias father talking to friends who are working undercover as spies for the anti- Facist cause. They are passing messages and seem to working for the cause.
But then the devastating bombing starts – destroying Guernica and changing the world that Mathias and Anetxu have found solace in.
The bombing of Guernica was a devastating experiment in total warfare by the German Luftwaffe in the run-up to World War II on 26 April 1937 For Basques, it was an attack on the soul of their ancient nation; for the world, it was an unprecedented crime against humanity.
The painting is housed in a single room in the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid and is eerie and fascinating at the same time. A must see if in Madrid.
Author/Guide: Christina Diaz Gonzalez Destination: Guernica Departure Time: 1930s/1940s
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