Leon Golub in Madrid

This is a painting by Leon Golub displayed in an exhibit in the Palacio de Velazquez in Madrid. It says, "Wanted: Killers of the Dream", "What's your dirty little secret, huh?", and "Happiness is a Warm Gun". The last quote is a Beatles song. I'm not sure if it was a coincidence or intentional. Golub was born in Chicago and died it New York so I'm sure he's heard the song. Regardless, it's supposed to amplify his anti-war stance after his experiences in WWII. His artwork forced me to ask myself whether I'm anti-war. The last time I asked myself was while reading Kurt Vonnegut's books. Golub and Vonnegut were both born in America's Midwest in 1922, served in WWII, and have motivated me to analyze my stance on war. Being in Spain, I asked myself what WWII meant to the Spanish and recalled that while doing research for my investigation, an article claimed that Spain never really dealt with it and the controversies attached to Nazism. Then I asked myself, What's this exhibit doing in the middle of Madrid? The informational pamphlet handed out at the exhibit promptly answered: "It is entirely appropriate that this exhibition is taking place in the museum that houses the twentieth century's iconic anti-war image, Picasso's Guernica, and in close proximity to Goya's The Third of May 1808 in the Prado." So it's basically a part of the Reina Sofia, an extension of the contemporary art themes, but in a different building. I like that the location of this exhibit has no relevance to nationality but was decided because its theme is heavily connected with other anti-war, contemporary artworks. The placement of the exhibit provides priority to an anti-war, humanist approach to life over the nationalistic philosophy. If we were all nationalists, Golub--being an American--should have all his work in the states. That would entirely contradict some of his themes, proving the fact that nationalism doesn’t seem to be a reasonable option in every situation. It tempts me to say that I'm a humanist over a nationalist.