Guernica, 1937
Pablo Picasso was commisioned by the Spanish Government to
create a mural commemorating the Spanish Civil War. This mural was
then to be presented in the Spanish pavilion of the Paris International
Exposition of 1937. Picasso produced Guernica.
Guernica was a Basque town that was destroyed by German
planes, under orders from Spain's authoritarian leader, Francisco
Franco. Picasso's depiction of the destruction of Guernica does not
portray the actual event, or its ramificaitons. Rather, it portrays
the horrors of war, both of the Spanish War, and of war in general.
Picasso did this by using such imagery as a dying horse, a mother and
dead child, a fallen warrior, a bull, a figure leaning out from a
window holding a lamp, and a woman trapped in a burning building.
There are also some hidden images underneath the upper layers of
paint (see Picasso's Guernica Unveiled
for more on the topic). Although the painting is very complex because of the large use of
symbolism, and the difficulty in its interpretation, it makes an
awesome impact in its portrayl of the horrors of war.
Guernica does exhibit some characteristics of Picasso's Analytic Cubism
Period (1908-1911), namely, the monochromatic usage of fragmented and flat shapes.
Despite this, with Guernica Picasso reached a new level in the genius of his
artistry, and it is considered by many to be his greatest masterpiece.
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