Teachers know that travel, in addition to being fun and intellectually stimulating, is one of the most meaningful learning opportunities available for both themselves and for their students. And Spring break is a great opportunity for travel! Recently, I returned from a vacation to Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar, and while I was there I could see many opportunities for incorporating travel experiences into classroom curriculum.

The iconic painting Guernica by Pablo Picasso has become a universally recognized representation of the horrors of war and a symbol of the Spanish Civil War.

While visiting Madrid, Spain, I had the opportunity to visit the Museo Reina Sofia, a national museum which houses Guernica, one of the most famous works of art created by Pablo Picasso. History teachers will note that this iconic painting has become a universally recognized representation of the horrors of war and a symbol of the Spanish Civil War. The painting portrays the bombing of Guernica in the Basque region of northern Spain. The village was bombed in 1937 by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy during the throes of the Spanish Civil War.

The painting, composed of black, white, and grey oils, measures more than 11′ in height and more than 25′ across. The work portrays a gored bull (which represents Spain), women crying out their grief, a dead chid, a dismembered soldier, a wounded horse screaming in agony, and flames. Art teachers will note that the painting is representative of two artistic movements: cubism and surrealism. On a side note, social studies teachers might point out to their students that a full-size tapestry copy of the painting was created by Jacqueline de la Baume Durrbach. The tapestry hangs at the entrance to the Security Council Room at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

Later in our Iberian tour, while visiting the coastal resort city of Malaga, we toured the Museo Casa Natal, Picasso’s birthplace. The museum, opened in 2003 in the Buenavista Palace, houses 285 works donated by members of Picasso’s family. Included in the museum’s exhibits is his christening gown, his bronzed baby shoes, and the black cloak given to him by the bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín in 1956. Some of the works of art on display were created by Picasso’s father, Jose Ruiz y Blasco, who was himself an art teacher. In addition to the birthplace, the facility includes a Picasso documentation center and a department of cultural promotion, which organizes art expositions and conferences.

While on a visit to Picasso’s birthplace in Malaga, the author took the opportunity to seek some artistic inspiration by rubbing the head of Picasso’s statue, located in the Plaza de la Merced.

While the Picasso family was living in this humble apartment at the time of his birth, the artist only lived there just over two years. The apartment consists of five rooms: The first is dedicated to the historical period in which the artist was born; the second to his parents, the third to his family; the fourth is a room displaying various images of Malaga in Picasso’s time; and the fifth is dedicated to the painter’s Spanish origins.

In the square directly in front of the museum, the Plaza de la Merced, sits a life-size bronze statue of Picasso, seated on a marble bench. Local lore has it that anyone who rubs the head of the statue will be inspired by the artist. While I am not an artist, I can always use a little inspiration anyway, so I took the opportunity to rub the statue’s head.

I would heartily encourage any teacher who is traveling to Spain to visit both the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid and Picasso’s birthplace in Malaga. Whether you rub the head of Picasso’s statue or not, your curriculum will inspired by the experience!

Here are some resources you can share with your students: Find information about the life of artist Pablo Picasso in Encyclopedia Brittanica. To examine information provided about the painting Guernica by the Museo Reina Sofia, click on this link: Guernica. For a virtual tour of Picasso’s birthplace, click on Museo Casa Natal.