heh. I didn't buy the certificate, but I did see The Guernica at the exhibition, which will probably count as one of the most memorable musuem experiences that I have had, thanks to the well-considered layout of the exhibition and a very intelligent audio guide.
The audio guide in particular thoughtfully led the vistor through the exhibition in a way that brought to life the history and genesis of the Picasso masterpiece. The Guernica also met for the first time two other great Spnish paintings that inspired it: (1) The great Goya painting, Shooting on 3rd May 1808, borrowed from the stately Prado Museum down the road and (2)the startling Execution of Emperor Maximilian by Edouard Manet, 1867-8
Loved the way the audio guide engaged the viewer in the experience: "Now, look across the room at the Guernica again and then go behind this wall and turn to your right, you are now looking at the painting that first inspired the Guernica. Press 13 to hear more about Goya's - Shooting on May 1808".
The guide also gave quite a lot of insight into the artist's state of mind and psychological condition during the period he painted the Guernica. I was very surprised to see the number of preparatory drawings displayed that Picasso had made leading up to the painting the final mural. There were many more things that he could have included in the picture - various people, objects, symbols etc. He was so impacted by the war that he had many things to say and represent, and what finally appear in the famous painting we see today were what he finally decided to include after many revisions. I guess it's like any piece of great art or literature, we don't always see the intense thought (and probably psychological tug of war) that had gone into their creation. It is even more telling to see the smaller paintings Picassao made after he finished the Guernica of each part of the work, with all sorts of variations, as if he continued to obsess with the images of war, not having exhausted all he wanted to show us.
It was a rare exhibition and I am glad to have had the chance to see it. My favorite amongst the three is the Manet. But all three are really powerful in presenting the reality and shock of human cruelty and pain. I guess, whether or not the artists intended the message, the paintings show that Evil does exist. We have all seen it.
