The Visual Arts Department, Burgos

The Department of Ceremonial and Visual Arts, originally called the Section of Mural and Poster Propaganda, was part of the National Press and Propaganda Service of the self-proclaimed government in Burgos. Created in September 1936 and led by the artist from San Sebastián, Juan Cabanas, it was responsible for the design and production of visual propaganda materials, as well as for planning the parades and military displays so characteristic of Francoism, including the construction of temporary architectural elements to frame them: grandstands, triumphal arches, monuments, and so on. The Department also carried out visual censorship of certain artistic projects and had authority within the Style Commission for the Commemorations of the Fatherland, which was charged with establishing the norms in this area.

Several well-known artists, organized into different sections, worked in the Department alongside its director: Drawing and Poster Design, headed by José Caballero; Architecture, overseen by José Borobio; and Photography, led by José Compte. Among the collaborators—all men and mostly mobilized, having performed some form of military service—were other notable creators such as Pedro Pruna, Teodoro Delgado, Domingo Viladomat, and Emilio Aladrén.

The photograph shows several members of the Department [from left to right: Juan Cabanas, José Borobio, unidentified person, and José Caballero] working in the workshop, located in the city of Burgos. Some of the posters produced by the Francoist regime and a large-scale model of the symbol of the Spanish Falange—the yoke and arrows—likely used as decoration in one of the ceremonial events – are also visible.

The work of these artists frequently appeared in creative projects carried out outside the Department during the war. Several of them created illustrations for publications produced in the territory controlled by the rebels (for example, Falange magazines). They also took part in major art exhibitions such as the 1938 Venice Biennale or the 1939 International Exhibition of Sacred Art in Vitoria, and even designed theatrical sets and costumes, as was the case with Pruna for the auto sacramental [on act allegorical play] performed in Segovia on Corpus Christi Day in 1938. These contributions demonstrate the close collaboration between the Department of Visual Arts and other cultural agents aligned with Francoism.

IEG