Guernica: a Masterpiece against War

Witness History from the BBC World Service has recently dedicated its latest episode to Guernica, the iconic painting by Picasso in the podcast Spain Welcomes Picasso's Guernica. In this documentary, Picasso's masterpiece is shown as the symbol for Spanish democracy and a permanent call against the madness of war. The podcast is around 11 minutes long, and there are no subtitles, but the speakers use very clear English and their pace is not fast, so, it can be recommended for C1 students -with this list of words as a listening guide, and for C2 students without this kind of support: a witness, [to give] a try, a [news] archive, to hand to [Spain], to stress, care, a masterpiece, to freeze [the blood in our veins], troops, to overturn, an aerial [attack], a mural, to commission, nightmarish, to stare on, [to go] on show, an artwork, on loan, to rule, dictator, to claim [the painting], to restore [democratic freedoms], to reclaim [the Spanish throne], a handover, a golden rule, to bear in mind, an inheritance, proof [of the ownership of the painting], the [paper] trail, [to end] the loan, stalemate, to bluff, to skate on thin ice, a widow, a sum [of money], a civil guard, an [attempted] coup, to fail, the canvas, the utmost [secrecy], to arrange [protection], to roll up, to stand in line, the bloody [fascist bombing of Guernica], to set foot [on Spanish soil], bulletproof, on display.

If you want to find out more about the symbology of Guernica, you can check out the Wikipedia entry on Guernica (C2 level), or read Dominic Witek's short and sharp interpretation of the art piece in Artsper Magazine, which is entitled Artwork Analysis, Guernica by Picasso. This text can also be accessible to C1 students and above. 

As for a visual alternative, you can watch Picasso's Guernica: Great Art Explained, a thorough 13:40 video with subtitles for C1 students and above, which delves into the iconographic structure of the painting and compares Guernica to other works or art: