The artistic memorialisation of Dolores Ibárruri

Abstract

Being placed in public places, monuments, through their associated symbolism, can be turned into means of social and political expression. An analysis of the symbolism pertaining to the monuments from the public space can be an efficient tool for investigating the way their reception engenders tensions and conflicts among the members of the community or, on the contrary, favors social cohesion. The present study attempts such an analysis focused on the artistic memorialization of Dolores Ibárruri, an outstanding figure of the Spanish Civil War, a member and, later on, the leader of the Spanish Communist Party. In order to highlight the way the different facets of this personality are reflected in memorialistic art, we have chosen two artistic representations grounded in a common theme but diverging in respect of their form and symbolism. In spite of their common denomination, the two artistic creations evince different perspectives, in respect of form and message as well as regarding the reception and the function of the artistic creation within the collective imaginary.