Modern Art

My first night back in Spain we headed to the Reina Sofia see some Modern art.  I'd heard about this museum quite a bit when I was first in Spain, probably because it had opened a few months prior to my first arrival.

I saw some pretty amazing and a bit surprising works from Dalí.  I had only ever seen his surrealist stuff.  I hadn't expected something so real and relatable from him.  

I also saw a lot of Miró.  I really enjoy Miró.  His art is simple.

And child-like.  But mostly, I think, I like his art because so much of it features primary colors prominently.  I'm a big fan of red and yellow and blue.

This photo is taken from the Guardian UK's website.

I mostly was looking forward to seeing this painting.  "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso.  Why?  Because when I was in high school a woman who had survived the bombing of Guernica as a child, came to visit my Spanish class to talk about the bombing.  She spoke of being dragged through the streets by her mother.  The rushing and the stumbling and the scraping of knees as she was pulled to the nearby caves for safety.  This bombing was the impetus for her family's emigration from País Basco and eventual settlement in the Boise area.


This painting is a huge symbol for the Basque people.  I'm sure it reminds them of where they've come from and what they've survived.  For me, like much of the WWII era, it reminds me of the dangers of unchecked aggression.  And how that aggression can lead to evil.


The painting is very large and impressive.  It evokes vivid pictures of mother's running with their children.  What must it be like to have the day disturbed in such a way that it changes your entire life?  I hope I never know.

We found ourselves at an MC Escher-ish staircase.  I think I count 8 floors below the main floor we were on.  I imagine rooms filled with crates of art.  I'd like very much to explore this staircase and the halls that branch off of it.

Maybe next time.