Evening star., 1936-11-29
The Threat to
Madrid's Art
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

anu CnurCneS OF Maorlu, Dut 00tnlng
short of a miracle could prevent the
mutilation or complete destruction Of
many objects which have excited the
admiration of the whole world. The fact
that SO many of the subjects of the great
Spanish painters were of a religious
nature, and the further fact that the
communistic government which has held
the old capital for so long is anti-church
many works Of art of religious nature
were destroyed wantonly even before the
siege
When peace Is restored, 1t seems prob
able that some inventory will be forth
coming which will show what was de-
stroyed and what survived, but mean
time all is conjecture, and the outside
world can only fall back on its knowl-
edge of what was there. That fabulous
riches in art treasures, at least from the
point Of view of artists and those inter-
ested in art, reposed there is known. For
example. it is known that in the Royal
Picture Gallery alone there were more
than 1000 pictures, each considered a
major or minor masterpiece. There and
In the Salon del Prado are known to
have been not only paintings of the great
Spanish masters, but Titians, Tintorettos.
Vandycks, Rubens.
The University of Madrid which was
the center of some of the hottest fighting
and the most destructive shelling, had a
library which boasted upward of 2,000,-
900 volumes and manuscripts, many of
them of tremendous value and incapable
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churches, which contained historic works
of art in both painting and statuary.
Private mansions unquestionably con-
tained masterpieces. Between the de-
Struction caused by shelling by artillery,
bombing from the air and looting by the
Communists who held the city, wholesale
destruction of invaluable treasures seems
a foregone conclusion. In the World
War care was taken to remove endan-
gered works of art and to seek to protect
monuments and churches by placing
sandbags about them. There has been
no such effort in Spain. especially as
destruction of such things seems to be
part of the program Of the Communists
who have been in charge of the govern
ment.
The roll of great Spanish masters is
too long to call, but some of them may
be mentioned. Diego Rodriguez de Silva
Y Velazquez has long been celebrated as
the greatest of the Spanish masters.
Indeed, he is accounted one of the great
est painters of all countries and all time.
Born in Seville in 1899. he removed to
Madrid when he was % years Of age.
In a surprisingly short time news Of his
talent reached the ears of King Philip
Nv, who thereafter became his patron.
Paintings by Velazquez have been widely
scattered across the world, including the
United States, and these presumably will
remain safe. But in Madrid there re-
mained such great masterpieces as the
Alteration of the Magi" Christ on the
Cross" the Forge of Vulcan" "Bacchus,"
Portrait of the King" and at the Es-
corral, near Madrid, "Josephs Coat
What has or may happen to these
world-famed works excites the interest
Of the world of art.
Bartolome Esteban Murillo. also Of
Seville, came early in contact with Velaz-
quez, and became, in some sort, his pupil.
He was not an imitator Of Velazquez's
style, but evolved one Of his own. His
paintings, too, are widely scattered
through the great museums and private
collections of the world. Many OF his,
and also of Velazquez's were in Seville,
and there is no news as to what hap
pened to them there. But some notable
Murillos were in Madrid. There were
the Festival of Our Lady of the Shows"
the Infant Christ and the Baptist, st.
Ildefonso," Christ and the Virgin In q
Cavern" and some 40 other works.
A great master who came long before
Velazquez was El Greco. He is known
to the art world and to history by that
name, although his birth name was
Domenico Theotocopuh. He was born
at Gambia. in the Isle of Crete, and, be-
cause of that Greek origin. when he came
to live in Spain. he was nicknamed very
simply Ell Greco, which merely means
the Greek OF all the millions OF Greeks
who have lived, he out of all history. Is
known as the Greek. Yet he now is
known as Spanish painter.
He travelled widely for those days be-
fore he came to Spain. At Rome he had
as patron the Farnese, and the Pope
took favorable notice of him. He be-
came pupil of Titan. He did not come
to the Spanish capital. Madrid. Indeed
in his day Madrid was not much of
city. It was Toledo he sought, Toledo.
with its great cathedral and seats OF
art and letters. That city was great
place in the world when Madrid was
little more than cluster of buildings
Indeed, one of his paintings reveals In
the background the Alcazar Of Toledo.
that vast citadel which was nearly de-
stroyed by the fighting this year.
While his work attracted great interest
1t also attracted special curiosity. Ell Greco
had a Byzantine strain about his WORK
which sharply differentiated 1t from the
Spanish schools. and while its genius
was recognized, it was little too strange
to be Immediately accepted. Ell Greco's
greatest fame came many years later.
For example, the King at first frowned
on his "St Maurice and His Legions,"
which had been commissioned for the
Escorial chapel. and rejected 1t, but
finally 1t was allowed to stay, although
never hung over the altar. 1t is there
now. unless it has been destroyed in
the riot and civil commotion and war.
His "Pentecost" and 'The Dead Christ"
are in Madrid, if they survive, with many
others, but as he had preferred Toledo,
and had done his work there. most Of
his paintings and carvings remaining
in Spain were in that city during the
storm of civil conflict. Word has not
been received concerning their fate.
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