Tate Britain exhibits Edward Burra, the master of watercolor

A genius of British watercolor , Edward Burra (1905-1976) was imbued with Spanish culture and lifestyle, a love that Tate Britain reflects in the space it dedicates exclusively to him until October 19.

A witness to some of the most important social, cultural, and political events of the 20th century, Burra depicts in his works what he experienced in places like France and New York, but Spain captivated his painting.

" He even learned Spanish so he could read the language, read books, and talk to people," says Thomas Kennedy, curator of the British gallery's exhibition.

The British artist was a regular at cultural events such as flamenco , where he had the opportunity to enjoy the well-known flamenco dancer Pastora Imperio, or bullfights in Madrid, something reflected in his brushwork, rich in colors and playful with silhouettes and shapes, which pushed the boundaries of the delicate watercolor technique.

"When he first visited Spain, he was truly captivated by what he saw . It was simply the reality of what he had seen in literature and film, come to life, and he truly embraced it," Kennedy explains.

The Tate is showing more than a dozen canvases in which Burra captures his vision of Spanish society at that time, the late 1920s and early 1930s, including the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

The master of watercolor was in Spain in the spring of 1936 in a café with some friends, the curator recounts, when he saw a column of smoke from the window of a burning church.

Burra, Kennedy recounts, "could not believe what was happening, the horror that was unfolding , these events that foreshadowed the Spanish Civil War," which would break out weeks later, in July, when he had to flee.

Upon his return home, he began collecting newspaper clippings and photographs, "and using them as a medium, a source of inspiration, and his experience, he was able to create works that encapsulate the horrific events on both sides."

'The Watcher' (El Vigilante, 1937) or 'War in the Sun' (Guerra al Sol, 1938) are examples of this, in which Burra shows implicit violence with tanks approaching innocent civilians instead of explicitly showing people fighting and dying.

Burra evolved toward surrealism , with more fluid forms of various kinds. He even participated in the 1936 International Exhibition in London, but when it came to the Spanish Civil War, "it was real people and places (...) and the impact of what was happening, because over half a million people died," Kennedy concludes.