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Discovering Guernica (blog post #3)


             At first glance, Guernica, a famous mural by Pablo Picasso seems overwhelming to the untrained eye.  If you would've asked me 2 days ago to tell you what this painting is about and what types of things Picasso is portraying here, I would've stared at you blankly, because until yesterday I had no idea how to really look at art, and truly appreciate it for what it is. In 1937 the Spanish Republican government asked Picasso to create a piece that they could display at the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Technique dans la Vie Moderne at the World's Fair in Paris. I've spent quite a deal of time looking over this painting, and really taking it all in. I feel almost stressed looking at the painting, and it makes me also feel a little bit frantic just because everything looks so busy, but the muted tones of black, white, and grey give it a slight sense of calmness. I see a lot of human forms, a bull, and a horse. I definitely wouldn't call this a portrait, but I'm not sure if I would call it a landscape either. The bull and the horse are both actually important aspects of Spanish culture and Picasso had used them in other paintings throughout his life which made it difficult to determine the meaning behind it. The people that are recognizable in the painting are representing civilians and the devastation of war that has become of all of them. The form in and style in this painting displays true Picasso vibes. His use of geometric shapes and abstract depictions is true to his style of cubism. The scale in the painting is also not realistic, the people are close to the same size of the bull and horse.Guernica is one of the most important anti-war symbols and a true embodiment of peace. Picasso was originally going to paint something different for the commission but when the bombing of Guernica happened everything changed. In April 1937 the German Condor Legion bombed Guernica for almost 2 hours straight. When Picasso heard word of this her abandoned the original idea and on May 1st he began painting Guernica. The painting shows the struggles and hardships many people faced in a post bombed Guernica, and how the tragic affects took their tole on many. Guernica was then exhibited in July 1937. Throughout Picasso's life he changed his style of painting, from Primitivism, analytic cubism, and synthetic cubism, he has evolved with the times. In 1937 Picasso was dealing with the aftermath of the bombing of Guernica, and the creation of his mural for the Spanish government. When asked about the meaning of Guernica, Picasso said one of my favorite quotes, "It isn't up to the painter to define the symbols. Otherwise it would be better if he wrote them out in so many words! The public who look at the picture must interpret the symbols as they understand them" (Picasso). Guernica resides today in the Mueso Renia Sofia, where many people still visit the painting today.

 Picture from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(Picasso)

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