Favourite Paintings: 'Guernica' by Pablo Picasso

'Guernica' is probably one of the most famous paintings in the world. It commemorates the bombing of the town of Guernica in 1937 by the Germans and Italians at the request of Spanish fascists during the Spanish Civil War. Picasso painted it in black, white and grey and the painting became an instant success, went on tour to raise funds for war relief and ended up in the USA since Picasso refused to allow it to go to Spain until the fascists had finally been defeated and a republic was instituted. When I first saw reproductions of it it was held by the Museum of Modern Art in New York and was only sent to Spain in 1981. I first saw reproductions of it in 1976 when I did art at school and only saw the painting for the first time in 2016.

I saw the painting in Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid in 2016, in a room on its own with no photos allowed and the huge painting was flanked by two security guards to protect it and its image rights. The room was quite crowded and silent, people standing back from the terror in front of them. The dead and dying women and children, the fatally wounded animals, the bull, Picasso's symbolic animal, it's all there to be drunk in by sober eyes and silenced the normally chattering students. I knew it was big but didn't realise it was that big. It was an astonishing sight.

The painting is forever linked to the events it portrays and to the politics surrounding it, and Picasso's republicanism and refusing to allow it to be displayed in fascist Spain. It remains a powerful statement against war and oppression.

Picasso's 'Vollard Suite' at The British Museum

The British Museum has recently obtained a complete set of Picasso's prints that make up the Vollard Suite and has put them on public display in a free exhibition. It's made up of 100 prints in different themes, sometimes side by side with the works of other artists that inspired him (such as Ingres and Rembrandt). The most famous of these prints is probably the blind Minotaur led by a girl and this is the first print that greets you when you get to the gallery rooms.

A large majority of the prints fall into the 'sculptor's studio' theme of the sculptor and his models and/or works. The majority of these are simple line drawings, outlines that create the scene. It's astonishing what a few lines on a page can create. These are, I think, my favourites, simple line drawings brought to life, given size and being in a simplistic but very powerful way.

We're given Picasso as sculptor, artist, minotaur, rapist and lover, naked and sprawled drinking champagne with his lover. The minotaur was the dark side of his personality and he uses it to explore possibilities. The rape scenes were massively cross-hatched, dark and brooding, bodies colliding and joined in violence. I preferred the minotaur at repose.

The exhibition includes two larger prints with nine panels each, titled 'Dream and Lie of Franco' part 1 and part 2. The small panels tell a story of pain and fear, being populated with Guernica-esque people and animals. Compared with some of the more classically inspired prints these are a wrench away from the sublime and into terror. I wouldn't want them on my walls.

The exhibition takes up two rooms on the fourth floor of the Museum and is well worth a visit. The strong vision behind these prints is both a delight and a dream, stepping into Picasso's world for a moment or two.