Picasso's War: The Extraordinary Story of an Artist. . - Reviews - book review

Contemporary Review, April, 2003

Picasso's War: The Extraordinary Story of an Artist, an Atrocity - and a Painting that Shook the World. Russell Martin. Scribner. [pounds]15.99. 274 pages. ISBN 0-7432-1989-9. Pablo Picasso's mural, Guernica, was based on the German bombardment of that Basque town during the Spanish Civil War on 26 April 1937.

The Luftwaffe destroyed the town and killed most of the inhabitants and the event became a cause celebre throughout the civilised world. Picasso, sympathetic to Spain's republican government, began his enormous canvas (11'6" by 25'S") fifteen days after the event. This is the story of the destruction of Guernica and of how Picasso painted the massive work that would hang in the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 World's Fair. He describes the painting's history and its eventual return to Spain after the restoration of the Monarchy. It is also the story of how art 'sometimes can transfigure catastrophe'. The author incorporates the story of a much beloved teacher of Spanish who was himself born in the Basque region, thereby making this more a personal tribute than a straightforward history. Having said that, the story of Guernica ends up being the story of modern Spain.