Guernica, Pablo Picasso, 1937
By paola(atheris)
My chosen artwork is Guernica, painted by Pablo Picasso. Painted oil on canvas between May 1 and June 4, 1937 in Paris. This artwork is a representation of Pablo Picasso’s outrage against war. Imagine an enormous painting that is 11 feet tall and 25 feet wide. It is painted with stark monochromatic colors such as gray, black, and white, making you question its meaning. The painting appears to be confusing and chaotic due to the amount of detail and the violence conveyed through it. Picasso uses Cubism to compress space through shifting perspectives and overlapping forms, drawing the viewer in for a closer look. The bodies are semi-abstract and distorted, making them feel jumbled together, while sharp, angular lines seem to pierce through them.
The painting depicts a bull fused with a horse and an eye that, instead of a traditional pupil, contains a lightbulb. Candles are presented in the role of torches. One prominent figure appears to be a mother, crying and screaming in anguish over the death of her beloved child. This same figure seems to be holding a small body, symbolizing the lost child. Several bodies lie on the ground, some decapitated, as suggested by the presence of several heads. Other figures appear to be running in terror, bearing visible wounds, while some seek refuge inside buildings.
Pablo Picasso chose to render Guernica in monochromatic tones to reflect his initial exposure to the tragedy through black and white newspaper articles and photographs. The choice reinforces the somber mood of a piece and evokes the stark, journalistic quality of newsprint, thereby intensifying the emotional impact on the viewer.
The reason I have chosen this artwork is due to the astonishing level of detail it presents. Coming from a country where violence is a daily reality, I immediately felt a strong connection with the painting upon first seeing it. As previously mentioned, the use of monochromatic colors has a significant impact on the piece. It appears that Pablo Picasso employed two different brush sizes: one to outline the figures and another to fill in areas with colors such as black, grey, and white. The brushstrokes remain visible in sections where he appears to have watered down the paint to create varying shades. I thought Guernica had Cubist geometric patterns and Surrealist elements, even if others disagree.
This artwork carries historical significance. In 1936, a civil war broke out in Spain between the democratic Republican government and Fascist forces. Hitler’s powerful German air force decided to bomb the village of Guernica in Northern Spain, conducting a ruthless attack intended as training and to intimidate the opposing side.
Approximately 70% of the village was destroyed, and around 1600 civilians were wounded and killed. Upon hearing about the devastation in his homeland, Picasso began sketching. After creating hundreds of preliminary sketches, he completed the final painting in less than a month, in time for it to be displayed at the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 Paris International Exposition.
Today, Guernica is permanently housed in the Reina Sofia, Spain’s National Museum of Modern Art.
