The Embrace by Juan Genovés
A dictionary of Spanish history and culture
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The Embrace (El Abrazo, 1976) by Juan Genovés is one of the key symbols of the Transition and the opposition to Francoism. The Junta Democrática, the umbrella organisation grouping together opposition groups asked, Genovés to paint a poster as a protest against political prisoners. He invited some of their leaders to his studio, and after rejecting Genovés’ own suggestion, they finally chose a painting he had done some time before, The Embrace. It finally came to be known popularly as La Amnestía, Amnesty. When the posters were printed Genovés’ was imprisoned and 25,000 posters were destroyed. The poster took on iconic status when a group of lawyers (Lawyers of Atocha) were murdered in their office by right-wing terrorist gunmen. The poster had been on the wall behind where they were sat and was spattered in blood. In all, some 500,000 reproductions were made of the poster in Spain, and its proceeds were used to set up the Spanish branch of Amnesty International. It has since then become a symbol of political oppression across the world, particularly in Latin America. Genovés states in this interview here that “the painting no longer belongs to me, its image belongs to the world. Interview with Juan Genovés here
Keywords:
Symbols of the Spanish transition, icon Transition, opposition posters, political prisoners, iconography, Spanish icons, political posters of Spain, Spanish political paintings