Guernica at Whitechapel
I’ve been dying to get to the Whitechapel Gallery since it reopened so we pootled down Brick Lane on le weekend. Mango lassi in hand…mmmm…lassi…anyhoo
I think the place is a nice little ode to East London. You know, local artists like Tracy Emin and Gilbert and George have really shaped it’s recent history. There’s also lots of references to Whitechapel’s working class- unionist- anarchist past. At the moment they are featuring an exhibition focusing on a tapestry reproduction of Picasso’s Guernica. Picasso’s original visited Whitechapel in 1939 (quite a coup for a relatively small gallery I imagine), and apparently played a prominent role in mobilising the East End to demonstrate and against Franco’s facist regime in Spain.
The thought of East London being home to progressive mouthy people with strong beliefs, in the 30s and right now* is quite appealing. So, you’re probably thinking the idea of reproducing Guernica as a tapestry is a trippy dichotomy; Guernica is full of the violence, machismo and chaos that characterises much of Picasso’s work. None of these are qualities that I’d usually associate with the medium of tapestry. I mean, the tapestries at the Musei Sistine and the Uffizi…snore…this imposing work at the Whitechapel has nothing in common with those tapestries.
It’s a true reproduction of Guernica as we are all familiar with, the demonic bull, disembodied people and frenzied horse in the foreground. With the stark, ugly electric lightbulb casting a pervasive glare on the turmoil. However, the colours are muted into browner warmer shades instead of the harsh greys and black of the original.
Interestingly, the tapestry’s home is the UN. Apparently Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State, had it covered when he made the televised announcement of the American invasion of Iraq…Unsurprising considering its overwhelmingly strong anti-war message impassioned east end hard men nearly a century ago.
*Or you could argue hipster wankers, take your pick…
