PABLO PICASSO, SPANISH 1881-1973, GUERNICA 1937, OIL ON CANVAS Guernica is a painting by Pablo Picasso, in response to the bombing

of Guernica, Basque Country, by German and Italian warplanes at the behest of the Spanish Nationalist forces, on 26 April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. The painting Guernica is grey, black and white, 3.5 metres (11 ft) tall and 7.8 metres (25.6 ft) wide, a mural-size canvas painted in oil. This painting can be seen in the Museo Reina Sofa in Madrid. Picasso's purpose in painting it was to bring the world's attention to the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica by German bombers, who were supporting the Nationalist forces of General Franco during the Spanish Civil War. Picasso completed the painting by mid-June 1937. Guernica shows suffering people, animals, and buildings wrenched by violence and chaos. The overall scene is within a room where, at an open end on the left, a wide-eyed bull stands over a woman grieving over a dead child in her arms. The centre is occupied by a horse falling in agony as it had just been run through by a spear or javelin. It is important to note that the large gaping wound in the horse's side is a major focus of the painting. Two "hidden" images formed by the horse appear in Guernica: o A human skull overlays the horse's body. o A bull appears to gore the horse from underneath. The bull's head is formed mainly by the horse's entire front leg which has the knee on the ground. The leg's knee cap forms the head's nose. A horn appears within the horse's breast. The bull's tail forms the image of a flame with smoke rising from it, seemingly appearing in a window created by the lighter shade of grey surrounding it. Under the horse is a dead, apparently dismembered soldier; his hand on a severed arm still grasps a shattered sword from which a flower grows. On the open palm of the dead soldier is a stigma, a symbol of martyrdom derived from the stigmata of Christ. A light bulb blazes in the shape of an evil eye over the suffering horse's head (the bare bulb of the torturer's cell.) Picasso's intended symbolism in regards to this object is related to the Spanish word for light bulb; "bombilla", which makes an allusion to "bomb" and therefore signifies the destructive effect which technology can have on society. To the upper right of the horse, a frightened female figure, who seems to be witnessing the scenes before her, appears to have floated into the room through a window. Her arm, also floating in, carries a flame-lit lamp. The lamp is positioned very close to the bulb, and is a symbol of hope, clashing with the light bulb. From the right, an awe-struck woman staggers towards the centre below the floating female figure. She looks up blankly into the blazing light bulb. Daggers that suggest screaming replace the tongues of the bull, grieving woman, and horse. A bird, possibly a dove, stands on a shelf behind the bull in panic. On the far right, a figure with arms raised in terror is entrapped by fire from above and below. A dark wall with an open door defines the right end of the mural. Symbolism and interpretations Interpretations of Guernica vary widely and contradict one another. This extends, for example, to the mural's two dominant elements: the bull and the horse. The bull and the horse are important characters in Spanish culture. Picasso himself certainly used these characters to play

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many different roles over time. This has made the task of interpreting the specific meaning of the bull and the horse very tough. When pressed to explain them in Guernica, Picasso said, ...this bull is a bull and this horse is a horse... If you give a meaning to certain things in my paintings it may be very true, but it is not my idea to give this meaning. What ideas and conclusions you have got I obtained too, but instinctively, unconsciously. I make the painting for the painting. I paint the objects for what they are. Picasso said as he worked on the mural: "The Spanish struggle is the fight of reaction against the people, against freedom. My whole life as an artist has been nothing more than a continuous struggle against reaction and the death of art. How could anybody think for a moment that I could be in agreement with reaction and death? ... In the panel on which I am working, which I shall call Guernica, and in all my recent works of art, I clearly express my abhorrence of the military caste which has sunk Spain in an ocean of pain and death. y The shape and posture of the bodies express protest. y Picasso uses black, white, and grey paint to set a sombre mood and express pain and chaos. y Flaming buildings and crumbling walls not only express the destruction of Guernica, but reflect the destructive power of civil war. y The newspaper print used in the painting reflects how Picasso learned of the massacre. y The light bulb in the painting represents the sun. y The broken sword near the bottom of the painting symbolizes the defeat of the people at the hand of their tormentors. Picasso seems to be trying to define his role and his power as an artist in the face of political power and violence. But far from being a mere political painting, Guernica should be seen as Picasso s comment on what art can actually contribute towards the self-assertion that liberates every human being and protects the individual against overwhelming forces such as political crime, war, and death. Guernica is a town in the province of Biscay in Basque Country. During the Spanish Civil War, it was regarded as the northern bastion of the Republican resistance movement and the epicentre of Basque culture, adding to its sig From 1936-1939, a civil war raged in Spain between those loyal to the newly- established Republican government and those who favoured a conservative, militaristic system. The outcome of the Spanish Civil War altered the balance of power in Europe, tested the military power of Germany and Italy, and pushed ER "away from the peace movement and into the ranks of the anti-fascists" fighting for democracy. In 1931, the Spanish monarchy fell and was replaced by a democratically elected government dedicated to major social reforms.