Guernica, Picassos Greatest Masterpiece Rachel Whiteside Florida State College

In 1937, the small town of Guernica in Northern Spain was brutally attacked and destroyed during an air raid by German Luftwaffe. Guernica was not a military objective and was located far behind enemy lines. The motive for such destruction - to demoralize and eradicate the most ancient town of the Basques and the center of their culture.

Prior to the destruction of Guernica, Pablo Picasso was asked to paint a mural for the Spanish Pavilion to be exhibited at the 1937 World's Fair. He had struggled for months in search of inspiration for the painting. Outraged by the bombing, Picasso found his inspiration and created what has been referred to as his greatest masterpiece, Guernica. Once completed, the painting was delivered to the Spanish Pavilion. It was displayed nearby a monolith designed to honor Nazi Germany, a location that would serve as a protest to the violent destruction of Guernica. With Guernica, Picasso created what some have interpreted as a black and white photo in remembrance of that tragic day in 1937.

Guernica was painted in oil and constructed on a canvas eleven feet, six inches in height and twenty-five feet, eight inches in length. Picasso discarded bright colors and used only blue, purple, black, gray, and white while painting Guernica. This further depicted the anger, sorrow, and darkness surrounding his inspiration for the mural. Picasso refused to explain Guernicas imagery, stating that it is up to those viewing the painting to interpret the symbols, as they understand them. As a result, interpretations of the painting vary and are often contradictory.

Picasso concealed five diamond-shaped Harlequin characters within Guernica. Picasso often used this alter ego character in his paintings as well as the diamond. Both are referred to as Picassos personal signatures in his paintings. Some believe that Picasso came up with this Harlequin character based on his love for the circus or perhaps a character also known as Harlequin in Punch and Judy, a popular theater performance on the streets of Barcelona during the turn of the century. This mystical character could become invisible and travel to any part of the world and take on other forms. The Harlequins gifts were said to have been granted by the god Mercury. Picasso appeared to identify with the Harlequin because of the character's mystical power over death.

While examining the painting, the background appears to be the town of Guernica, filled with burning buildings. To the right, one can see a woman holding a lamp, another woman falling in an attempt to escape the destruction, a fallen soldier, an injured horse, a broken statue of a warrior, and a woman falling while reaching to the skies in what could be interpreted as a cry for help. To the left, one can see another fallen soldier and a grieving woman holding a dead baby with a bull towering over as if to threaten. Bottom, center, one can see a flower, possibly signifying peace, hope, or rebirth after the destruction. Further analyzing the painting, one can reveal the hidden Harlequins. The largest is creatively hidden behind the images within the painting and appears to be crying a diamond-shaped tear for the victims of Guernica. They next two characters can be found by rotating the canvas. Painters sometimes rotate paintings to check balance and stability. Picasso believed that sideways or inverted imagery could subconsciously affect the observer as well as create a hidden meaning. Rotating the painting ninety degrees to the right one can see the second Harlequin wearing a diamond-shaped hat and looking upwards, possibly to the German insurgents as they are bombing the city. Rotating the painting ninety degrees to the left one can see the third Harlequin character wearing a diamond-shaped hat and mask. The fourth Harlequin is also wearing a diamond-shaped hat and has a serrated collar. The final Harlequin is located to the right of the fourth, wearing a patchwork costume, triangular hat, and appears to be kneeling.

In terms of art, thinking outside the box encourages both the artist and the observer to break away from what appears on the surface to uncover what lies beneath. With this painting, Picasso accomplishes just that. Guernica expresses the horror and suffering Picasso pictured in his mind when he learned of the bombing. The overall theme of the mural is one symbolic of death and destruction. On the surface, the painting vividly depicts the darkness, anguish, and emotions of the victims as well as the devastation to the town of Guernica. Beneath the surface, Picasso used subliminal imagery to invoke several Harlequin characters that appear to overcome or defeat the forces of death illustrated in the painting. This creative expression allows the casual observer to look further into the meaning of the painting and explore a thought process outside of conventional thinking in order to reveal what is visible beyond the naked eye.