Martyred Spain
- Artist: André Fougeron
- Date: 1937
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 982 x 1539 x 22 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is “Martyred Spain” by André Fougeron, an oil on canvas from 1937. The painting shows a decaying horse and a woman who lies prone, her body twisted as if in shock. Together they become a stark visual shorthand for the innocent victims of the Spanish Civil War, a conflict that marked a turning point in Europe’s fight against fascism. Fougeron, a French artist deeply committed to the left, chose to paint rather than enlist in the International Brigades, channeling his political stance onto the canvas.
The work evolved over several months – the reverse shows dates from January to June – and the artist rewrote the composition, moving the woman’s left foot and tightening the horse’s limbs. The result is a raw, almost brutal tableau that echoes the scale and tragedy of Picasso’s Guernica, a mural unveiled the same year in Paris. Fougeron’s use of saturated reds, dark greens, and sharp contrasts makes the image feel immediate, reminding us that art can be a living witness to war’s horrors.
See it in person
Martyred Spain is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
