Last full day in Spain: Tour of Salamanca

Tour of Salamanca: When arriving at Salamanca, our tour guide first showed us El Río Tormes, which runs through Salamanca, and the Roman bridge that crosses it. Our goal for the day was to see the New Cathedral, the University of Salamanca, and the Plaza Major. We started with the New Cathedral, which has the original Cathedral still standing along with the new building added. The Cathedral was initially built in 1140, fun fact is that before they included the newer part of the Cathedral in 1513, their plans were to tear down the old cathedral and completely rebuild. During the 220 years it took to finish the Cathedral, multiple architectural styles were used in the process, including Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque. During the Romanesque style, we can see that the windows were made very small so that arrows thrown at the Cathedral were unable to pass through to the inside. Another fun fact is that in 1973 a family lived in the bell tower and they were in charge of ringing the bells every hour on the hour. The family was referred to as Los Campaners, or the bell ringers.

When walking towards the altar, you can see 53 painted tiles which represent the story of Jesus. These tiles were painted by an Italian named, Nicolas de Florencia. Afterwards, we visited the University of Salamanca, founded in 1218 and is known as the oldest university in Spain.

It is said that if students could find the frog in the Plateresco architecture outside then they would pass all their classes. In actuality, the frog represented sexual temptation and death. Originally, the University was an all male school and if they paid any mind to women they would fail classes and possibly die. The frog on the skull was to remind the boys each day they entered the building to focus on their classes and not on the women. To finish the tour, our guide took us to the Plaza Mayor de Salamanca. Similar to every other Plaza Mayor, the balconies above the coffee shops and and restaurants, were once used by spectators when watching bullfights. However, there was one part of the Plaza that stood out for me. There was a statue of an elephant upside down on it's trunk, sculpted by Spanish artist, Miguel Barceló. It is said that the elephant represents the equilibrium necessary for artistic creativity.

Didactic Center of the Jewish Quarter

Today, after finishing our final exam, we visited the Didactic Center in the Jewish Quarter of Segovia. It is located in what was once the house of the most important Jew in 15th Century Spain, Rabbi Abraham  Seneor.  He was close to the monarchy and was dubbed "El Rab" which meant that he was a liaison between the Hebrew community and the monarchs. When he was elderly, he was baptized during the rule of Isabel and Ferdinand. He was very wealthy and had one of the biggest houses in the Jewish section of Segovia. The Center consists of 3 rooms that provide information on the Sephardic culture and give viewers an idea of what this neighborhood was like in the Middle Ages. In the gift shop, they sell, among other things, replicas of the keys that had belonged to Jews who were expelled from their homes after Isabel and Ferdinand decreed the expulsion of Jews from Spain.

     

La Granja

On May 10th, the group traveled 20 minutes to the town of La Granja. The first place we visited was the Real Fábrica de Cristales, which is a Glass Museum. This building was constructed in 1770 by Joseph Díaz during the reign of Carlos III, who fomented national industries such as this one. It is of neoclassical rectangular design and made up of stone and brick as well. The equipment within the museum used for glass making includes replicas of 2 huge heating ovens with 8 openings for the crisoles (melting pots). The glass, a mixture of 70% sand and 30% of potassium, sodium, and calcium, would be heated at 1,300°C for 16 hours. The factory, now mostly a museum, was active up until 1962. However, we learned that the art of making glass actually originated in Syria in 4000 BC.

The group also got to see beautiful glasses being blown at this museum, which put in perspective how many people it actually takes to produce a piece. We saw molded decanters and blown glass champagne flutes being made. The glass blowers blew into long pipes and then twirled them to begin to shape the glass. Each person had a specific task in the whole process, with the final step of letting each piece cool to later sell. Any excess glass would be reheatedand recycled. There used to be a school of glass blowing, but when the economic crisis of 2008 hit Spain, the school was closed.

Our guide explained how glass panes used to be made from huge bottle-like shapes called manchones. They were very difficult to make because workers only had 3-4 minutes to blow the glass before it hardened. Also it took a lot of lung power to blow such big pieces. Mirrors were also created for the royalty and the very wealthy. Back then they were made with mercury. The saying that if someone breaks a mirror, they will have 7 years of bad luck comes from the early days of mirrror making. Supposedly, if a maid broke a mirror, they would have their salary docked for 7 years to pay back their employer. The museum also displayed some white glass that looked like porcelain; its coloring is made of ground up horns of animals, specifically deer. Today this museum produces elaborate chandeliers of unique modern/baroque styles, for example, the "Cosmic" chandelier (shown below) incorporates the planets of the solar system.

After lunch we walked to the Palacio Real, but unfortunately, it was closed for preparations for the King's visit on the following day. However, we ventured to the gardens behind the Palace where we saw beautiful fountains and an abundance of greenery. We had a chance to enter a labyrinth within the gardens, which was fun to explore and try to find our way back. Some of us got lost. I won't mention who.

Guggenheim, Bilbao

Continuing our exploration of the Basque Country of Spain, on Sunday afternoon we visited the Guggenheim Museum in the city of Bilbao, a mecca for those interested in contemporary art and architecture. This museum, designed by the Canadian-born American architect Frank Gehry, was built along the Nervion River, and was completed in 1997. Other Guggenheim Museums besides the one in Bilbao include locations in New York City (designed by Frank Lloyd wright), Venice, Berlin, Los Vegas, and Abu Dhabi. One of Gehry's goals for the Bilbao museum was to integrate it with the city. Another was to create a structure that would be considered a work of art. In short, the museum is a place that connects with urban life and provides a place for lovers of contemporary art to view a variety of artistic forms. On the outside of the museum, one of the first things we saw was a very sculpture of a spider, measuring about 9 meters in height. For its creator, Louise Bourgeois, the spider represents both protector and predator, and the piece is titled Maman (French for "mother"). Maybe she is protecting the museum and the city of Bilbao. In addition to the permanent works of Bourgeois, Richard Serra, and Jenny Holzer, among others on the main floor of the museum, we saw the temporary exhibit of Abstract Expressionism that included works by Motherwell, Rothko, Pollock, de Kooning and Gorky, for example.

Bilbao has experienced a renaissance since the years of its economic decline, which began in the 70s. The museum has been a major component of the economic revitalization of the city, boosting tourism and creating culture in what was once a vacant lot beside a polluted river. The Bilbao Guggenheim, along with many urban renewal projects, has increased the overall appeal of the city. Within the first 3 years of the museum's opening, tourism quadrupled in Bilbao, bringing in about 500 million euros of economic activity, not only from the museum, but also from the tourists staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, and shopping.

One of my favorite pieces in the museum was by a German painter and sculptor, Anselm Kiefer. The name of the piece is “The Order of the Night,” and it features huge sunflowers that loom over a body (the artist) lying prone on the ground. Because sunflowers follow the sun, this piece expresses the connection between the earth and the sky, as well as humankind's place between the two. The canvas measures 356x463 cm; in other words, it's quite large. I like the piece because of my love for that specific flower, but also because of the simplicity of the colors.

San Sebastián

Today the weather was perfect: warm temperature, soft breeze, and plenty of sun. Our day started out with breakfast in the Oñate Country House, after which we piled into the van and set off for San Sebastián. After arriving, we began our tour of the city.

San Sebastián is part of the País Vasco which is in northern Spain and it is very different from the central part of Spain, where we've been until now (Segovia and Madrid). The País Vasco is much greener, with lots of mountains, valleys, and pines trees. San Sebastián, however is a port city located on the Cantabrian Sea, and therefore fishing was a big part of its economy. Now it is tourism that fuels the economy. The three playas (beaches) in the city make it a popular destination for tourists from all over Spain, Europe, and the rest of the world.

San Sebastián is called Donostia in the Basque language and many of the street signs are only written in Basque. Like other major cities in Spain, San Sebastián has a Plaza Mayor (central square) where traditionally its residents used to gather on balconies and watch bullfights. Today, the Plaza Mayor is used as a place to gather for fiestas (which can last days depending on the fiesta). On our tour, we stopped at the marketplace (La Brecha), several different churches, and other public spaces as our guide talked about some of the traditions of the city's inhabitants. She described, for example, the Tamborrada, which happens every 20th of January, and consists of a 24-hour long drumming, marching and singing celebration with groups dressed up as soldiers or chefs.

After our tour of the casco viejo (historic section) of the city, we enjoyed pintxos, a type of finger food eaten before a main meal and usually accompanied by una copa de vino. They are delicious and consist of small pieces of bread with meat, fish, eggs or vegetables on them. The word “pintxos” is Basque for the Spanish term tapas.

After enjoying the pintxos and the bag lunches our host mothers had lovingly packed for us the day before, some of us headed to the beach called La Concha. The water was cold though we did end up going in for a bit, dipping our toes and splashing around. The beach was not as crowded as some of the beaches I’ve been to in America, like Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. There were several families spread out on towels, sunbathing and enjoying themselves. Something that the group of us found a bit surprising is that it is normal for the women to sunbathe topless. It was interesting to see the cultural difference because this is considered a perfectly normal thing to do in San Sebastián. Also, children ran around naked and dogs frolicked in the ocean. When we had had enough of the sun’s rays to tan (or in some cases burn) our skin, we walked around the city of San Sebastián. It was a perfect day to tour a beautiful city and enjoy its coastal setting. That evening, as we headed back to the Country House in Oñate, many of us fell asleep in the van after another busy, eventful day in España.

A Fishing Village and a Famous Tree

On Monday morning, our stay in País Vasco (Basque Country) was coming to an end, but we had two more stops before returning to Segovia.

Our first stop was the fishing village of Mundaka on the northern coast of Spain, famous for its great waves for surfing.  The morning we went, however, the ocean was calm.  We walked around a bit, seeing some of the coast and the outside of the Basilica of Saint Catalina, a church built on a peninsula in a style in between the Gothic and Renaissance constructions we have seen elsewhere.  Note that the arches are neither pointed nor semicircular, but instead are a sort of in-between stage of an elliptical shape.

After our short walk, we journeyed onward to Guernica (spelled Gernika in Basque and pronounced gher-NEE-kah).  Gernika is famous today for the bombing it endured during the Spanish Civil War, in which hundreds of civilians were killed indiscriminately (the exact number of casualties is disputed) by Hitler's German forces in aide of the fascist nationalists led by Francisco Franco in 1937.  This event was immortalized in Picasso's famous painting Guernica that same year, seen below.

While in Gernika, we had the chance to see the Gernikako Arbola (the "Tree of Gernika" in Basque).  This oak tree is an important symbol of freedom to the people in the Biscay region of Spain.  It was under this tree that the Reyes Católicos (Fernando II and Isabel I) first swore to uphold the rights of the Biscayan people.  This became a tradition as each new feudal lord of the region stood under this tree to swear to uphold the rights of the people.  The original tree, the "Father Tree," lived from some time in the 14th century until the early 1800s.  When it finally died, it was replaced by its "son," a tree grown from one of its acorns, called the "Old Tree."  This tree was replaced again later that century by the "Son Tree" and its trunk was placed in a temple to preserve it in 1926.  In this way, both the Old Tree and the Son Tree survived the bombing of Gernika, continuing to symbolize the freedom of the people living there in spite of the destruction of the town.  The tree still stands today, in its fifth incarnation.

This tree is so important to the people of the region that it features prominently on the coat of arms, alongside two wolves symbolizing the founder of the region, Lope de Haro, as well as appearing on the coat of arms for several towns in the region, Gernika included.  Additionally, the symbol of the oak leaf can be found on public landmarks.

Romanesque Churches

Today our group took an afternoon stroll through the streets of Segovia to visit Romanesque churches.  It was a beautiful day to walk around the small city, and though it was hot, we found reprieve from the sun within the silent stone walls of centuries old buildings.  In total, we entered two holy structures, named San Millán and San Justo y Pastor.  The third church on our tour, the Church of San Esteban, was closed, but we viewed it from the outside because of its elegant tower. These churches, like eleven others throughout the city, share the same architectural style known as Romanesque or románico.

Found in other parts of the country and Europe, these churches were built from the 11th to the 13th century and include elements from Roman architecture. For example, the layout of the church is in the shape of a cruz latina or Latin cross, with the alter always located in a semicircular apse in the east, and the main entrance in the west. Romanesque churches can have anywhere from one to five naves, the center one always taller than the others. Outside the church are carvings in the stone (for Segovia the stone is limestone), to represent biblical stories or mythological figures. In the middle ages few could read, so such carvings helped illustrate the important lessons within the Bible and mythology.

Below the churches lie the graves of local families. This custome changed centuries later with the Bourbon king Felipe V and the creation of Spain's first cemetery in La Granja. Here, in the Church of San Millán, each grave was marked with carved numbers that corresponded to a chart listing the names of the family members so the graves could be identified. The graves sometimes held whole families and after enough time had passed, a new family would occupy the grave. 

Additionally, only in Segovia will you find a galería porticada, something like a covered stone patio, on the outside of the churches. No one really knows why this is such a predominant feature in this city's churches, but it is believed to be because of the weather. During the cold months the churches would be quite chilly, and if they were also used as meeting places for local governments, the outside patio would be warmer if it protected people from wind, but still allowed for the warmth of the sun to penetrate.  An interesting theory, no?

Of course, each of the churches we visited was unique in its own way. The first, San Millan, is the largest in Segovia, with its four naves and semicircular apses on the east end of the cross-shaped floor plan. Inside, an enormous organ still plays even after its construction in the 17th century.  

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Mind you, the church itself was constructed in 1111 (completed in 1126).  Inside, another typical feature of Romanesque churches, are paintings on the stone walls that depict biblical scenes as well as mythological references. In the Church of San Millán there are frescos of San Cristóbal carrying Christ, Christ on the cross, and an almost more renaissance-like portrayal of baby Jesus being circumcised.  

The second church, San Justo y Pastor, is much smaller, though not to be overlooked. Today it is known for the beautiful paintings that surround the alter. They are even better preserved than those of San Millán, and show numerous biblical stories, from the creation, to Judas' betrayal, to the Crucifixion.  

It is important to note that all of these churches are Catholic, hence the importance of saints (also found within the paintings and carvings).  Also in San Justo y Pastor lies a medieval wooden figurine of Jesus post Crucifixion. He is life sized, and like many religious figures, is brought out during Holy Week.  How did he come to find his home in this small church?  A donkey brought him from France, according to legend. No one knew which church he should belong to, so the donkey continued to carry him. When the donkey died in front of the church of San Justo, this was taken as a sign as to where the wooden figure belonged. It has become part of the church, not only for special occasions, but also in educational and biblical plays performed throughout the medieval ages.  

We viewed the third church from the outside because of its beautiful tower. Before it was damaged by fire and repaired, it was the tallest tower in Segovia. This church is called San Esteban. 

Even those who do not identify with the Catholic religion can appreciate the beauty and history within these architectural gems. We visited only three today, but there are more to see right here in Segovia and beyond.

The Jewish Quarter of Segovia

On May 4th, our afternoon tour began at la Plaza de Merced to explore the Jewish Quarter, or La Judería, of Segovia and to imagine what it was like when the Jews lived in this section of the city. The Jews first entered into Segovia in 1215, which is documented by letters that were exchanged between the Pope and the bishops concerning the relationship between the Jews and Christians. There were suspicions of the Jews gathering to gamble, an activity that was frowned upon in the Christian religion. However, there were only around 100 Jewish families in Segovia at the time, so there was not a huge scare. Additionally, up until 1391 there was relative harmony between the different religions, except when the black plague hit Europe in 1348. Many Christians used the Jews as a scapegoat for the pandemic, which led to an uprising against the Jews.

Also in 1391 the pograms attacked the biggest Jewish communities all over Spain including Sevilla, Madrid, and Toledo. From then on, there were continuous anti-Jewish teachings, such as the preaching from Friar Vincent Ferrer, and in 1412 there were a set of anti-Jewish laws passed. The first law consisted of ways to restrict the practice of their religion and the law that followed was to annul the status of the aljama (self governing Jewish communities that lived in different parts of the city). Important properties, such as the Sinogoga Mayor began to be confiscated from the Jews.

Between 1412-1419, the legend of the Corpus Christi evolved as a way to justify the expropriation of Jewish property. Supposedly a group of Jews took a host from the priest at the Christian church in Segovia and went into their synagogue with it. They desecrated the host by putting it into a burning cauldron, but the host flew out of a crack in the ceiling of the synagogue. Then, the Jews went to the authorities about the host, but some ended up executed as a result of the incident.

From 1419-1474, there was a resurgence of Jewish people in Segovia because of the religious tolerance of Enrique IV. This is when Jews took complete control of the Jewish quarter as well. Abraham Seneor lived during this time in Segovia and was the most influential Jew of Spain.

When Isabel became queen of Castile and Leon in 1474, she was concerned with societal unity and in 1478 the Inquisition was implemented to establish Catholic orthodoxy (i.e. to determine if jews who converted to Christianity were conversos falsos or not. The Inquisition arrived in Segovia in 1485 and all Jews were required to convert in four months or leave Spain. As a result of this, 50%-60% left Spain and in today's world, there are communities of Sephardic Jews in the U.S., Argentina, and France, among other countries.

After we explored the quarter, we crossed the Clamores River to venture over to the Jewish cemetery on what's called the Cuesta de los Hoyos, or the Hillside of Holes. Each depression in the ground represents a grave, varying in size based upon the age of the person buried. It was easy to distinguish  between an adult or child's grave. From this hillside, which used to be referred to as the Prado Santo (Holy Field), there is great view of the Alcázar in Segovia as well.

A Walk in the Park

A Walk in the Park

Today was a gorgeous day here in Segovia, with temperatures in the seventies and sun shinning down on the cobblestone streets of the city.  The warmth was pleasant and after lunch it invited us out to explore the world around us.  Naturally, we decided it was the perfect day to stroll through the Alameda, a park that follows along the outside of the wall surrounding the city.  Let me back up for a minute though, and first explain this wall or muralla as the Segovians call it.  

The muralla was built around the city around 1080. Segovia at this time was being repopulated after the Arab invasion. Of course, the Arabs still controlled this region of the Iberian peninsula, and would for a few more centuries.  Regardless, with the repopulating of the city a wall was built to protect those within its limits.  Previously, under the Romans, a much smaller wall had been built.  What was left was added onto, sometimes using bits of stone work leftover from the Roman reign.  This often included the tombstones of Roman graves.  

Today you can still see the headstones within parts of the wall, often upside down and the chiseled information too worn to read.  

Within the wall, five doors were built to allow people to travel in and out of the city.  Some of the doors held important functions, such as checkpoints for the goods that would travel to and from the city.  Others served as mere entryways for the inhabitants and visitors.  Three of these doors still remain today.  In fact, to start our walk alongside the muralla we walked through the large stone gateway, or door (in Spanish puerta), called la Puerta de San Andrés.  

From there our walk continued.  We followed several stairways that led down into a wooded area, running alongside the river Eresma as well as the muralla.  

Along the way we were able to see the alcázar in all its splendor on this sunny day.  We also caught glimpses of the old mint, no longer in use for such a purpose, but still called today the Casa de moneda (literally the House of Coins). Our group, grown close after the week here, enjoyed seeing the wildlife, including ducks and butterflies, and a pen full of peacocks. And though it was hot, we were able to refresh ourselves with water spouting picturesquely from little fountains throughout the park.  (The one seen in the picture below is accompanied by a plaque with a saying that roughly translates to "water is life.")

Interestingly, the sandy pathways were covered in furry white pollen, making it look as if we were at times walking through snow.  Its that time of year! But regardless of the allergy inducing conditions, we shared numerous laughs, especially when coming to an area where old wooden balance beams and pull-up bars are set up for the park goers.  If you find yourself wanting to work out, under the blue sky, there's the place to go!  And if you're not into that, don't worry.  Its a beautiful place to simply stroll and take pictures.

I'd recommend this beautiful alameda to anyone looking for nature that skirts centuries old structures. It's one more gem of Segovia.

See you there tomorrow? 

A Night at the Theatre

Sunday evening, after our visit to the Reina Sofía museum and a bit of shopping and free time in Madrid, our group reconvened at the Teatro Español to see a show.  The Teatro Español was founded in the 1500s and was originally called the Corral del Príncipe.  At this time, theatres were typically building courtyards, or corrales, with a stage and some benches set up for the performers and audiences.  The area would have no roof over the audience, although the buildings around the courtyard would often sell seats at their windows to see the shows.  Today, the Teatro Español is a fully enclosed building, redesigned by the same architect who designed the Prado museum after having burned down in 1802.  Though there is a typical European proscenium stage with traditional pit, box, and gallery seating, the show we saw was in a smaller, more intimate "black box" theatre space inside the same building.  Furnished only with a desk, a chair, and a piano, the space was perfect for a one-woman show.

The show we saw was an adaptation for theatre of an essay by Virginia Woolf called “A Room of One’s Own” or, in Spanish, “Una habitación propia.”  This essay, written in Virginia Woolf’s signature stream-of-consciousness style, deals with the issues surrounding women and literature, especially why women don’t write as much literature as men, or at least haven’t done so, historically.  In this performance, actress Clara Sanchis, in the role of the essayist-character who is not Virginia Woolf but rather an invention of the author to best convey her ideas, brings to life the scattered thoughts and exciting quest for truth (or at least for a well-formed opinion) that ultimately leads, however windingly, to the conclusion that in order to write fiction of any sort, one needs a steady income and a room of one’s own, two things that women, historically, have lacked.  Though one might think an hour and fifteen minutes of a single monologue might be boring even in English, when all of the words could be understood, Sanchis’s performance was so engaging even us students struggling to understand the language could follow the emotion and stay focused throughout.  Additionally, the live music that was added, performed by Sanchis as well, and the staging under the direction of María Ruiz completed the characterization and kept the pacing of the performance fluid in a show that skips from from one fictional men's college, to a fictional women's college, to a library, to the essayist-character's house in the search for answers about women and literature.

La Caminata En Madrid

Today, our last day in Madrid and our first full warm sunny day in Spain, we enjoyed a nice historical walk through the city. On our way to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) we stopped in the Plaza de Oriente at an equestrian statue of Felipe IV designed after drawings by the famous artista Velázquez and with scientific advice from Galileo. We saw some of Velázquez’s works at the Prado Museum earlier this week. The Palacio Real has an interesting history. Originally it was built from mostly wood but burned down in 1734. The rebuilding of the palace occurred in 1738 and used mostly stone to ensure another disastrous fire did not occur again. The Palacio Real is the largest palace in Europe, larger than Buckingham Palace in England. Currently, Spanish royalty do not reside in the palace.

A short distance away from the Palacio Real is the Catedral de la Almudena. The cathedral was named after the patron saint of Madrid: la Virgen de Almudena. El Papa Juan Pedro II (Pope John Paul II) consecrated the cathedral in 1993. There is a statue of el Papa in the front of the church. Interestingly, the outside of the cathedral was built in the neoclassic style while the inside was designed in a neo-gothic style. After walking up the steps to the entrance of the cathedral, one can see the intricate carvings on the door. The scene on one of the doors depicts a congregation on the bottom with el Papa and a crowd of cardinals. Above are angels, cherubs, and a crucifix. Inside, the cathedral is just as elaborate if not more. The ceilings are decorated with colorful intricate patterns. The cathedral contains pieces of art depicting the saints, la virgen madre, and Jesus. Interestingly, the altar is located in the middle of the church. On the right wall there is an enormous pipe organ that likely fills the cathedral with music when played.  The focal point of the cathedral is on the back wall there are stairs leading up to a statue of la virgen madre and Jesus. There are paintings surrounding the statue which show the life of Jesus. There is a lovely little shop located outside the cathedral that sells rosary beads and other religious paraphernalia.
            The rest of the day was spent shopping at the nearby centro de comercial (mall) which has three floors (the top primarily containing food) and a carousel outside. After spending the afternoon shopping we headed to the bus station and traveled back to our host families in Segovia. When arriving home, we were happily greeted by our host mothers. Another day well spent.

On our second day in Madrid we visited the Museo Reina Sofia located across from the Atocha train station. There were many artists that contributed to Spain’s famous art works from the 20thcentury, for instance: Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Joan Miro and Salvador Dali.  But, today we focused on Pablo Picasso. His work varied from different techniques and theories, and he is perhaps most famous for pioneering the Cubist movement.However, I was struck by this sculpture of his from 1933 entitled, "Woman with Vase". Her features are not defined at alland her face is devoid of any human qualities. She almost looks birdlike to me. 
With his cubist paintings there were more sharp edged shapes in them, along with distorted body parts so it wasn't always obvious which what the painting was depicting. A painting of his that impressed me was "La nadadora" (the swimmer), also of a woman. She could be swimming or she could be drowning. Her face, feet and breasts were the only aspects of the human body that were easy to point out. In the majority of Picasso’s painting that portrayed women, their face, feet, arms and breasts were the easiest parts of the body to distinguish.

The piece below, "Woman Dressing her Hair" is a clear example of the sharp edges I mentioned earlier that are found in cubism. But notice also how her feet, breast and arms were pronounced andand easily distinguishable although her torso is more abstract and less human. 

The main focus of the exhibit we saw was Picasso's "Guernica", painted in 1937.  Here Picasso portrayed the gruesome event of the Guernica bombing in the Basque Country of Spain that killed many civilians during the Spanish Civil War. Painted during his surrealist period, it conveys the distress felt by the people as can be seen in the faces of both the humans and the animals in the painting. And since he painted fragmented rather than full bodies, this distortion only further intensifies the image and emotions around such an event.