Guernica by Pablo Picasso

     Guernica is a painting completed in 1937(Harris) by Pablo Picasso, a Spanish painter and sculptor of the twentieth century, most famously known for his unique abstract art style and contribution to the cubism movement. This specific painting was commissioned by the Spanish government and was painted as a response to the Spanish Civil War, specifically the Italian and German Luftwaffe bombing of Guernica, a small military manufacturing village inhabited by primarily women and children on April 26, 1937(Guernica (painting)). Guernica was exhibited at the 1937 International Exposition World’s Fair in Paris(Guernica (painting)) and has remained one of the major pieces of artwork of the twentieth century(Harris).

     Picasso’s Guernica is a mural, oil painting that illustrates an abstract depiction of the war. Through the use of solely black, white, and grey, bleak and lifeless colors, the artist provides a melancholy atmosphere. Throughout the painting, you find a the mangled depiction of a dismembered soldier, a mother grieving over the death of her child, people in agony, an injured horse, and a bull. There’s a plethora of hidden imagery and symbolism scattered throughout the painting. The light bulb positioned at the top left center of the painting and shaped into the shape of an evil eye not only serves as a reference to the bombing of the town of Guernica, through the Spanish word for light bulb, “bombilla, but also serves as a reference towards technology and it’s believed detrimental and destructive influences on society(Guernica (painting)). Juxtaposed with the light bulb is an outstretched arm and lamp, contrasting the reference towards the bomb, a symbol of sorrow and pain, and signifying a sense of hope. There is a hidden illustration of the horse, being gored by a bull beneath him, and overall, there is the hidden image of a large skull found in the varying textures in the background(Harris).
     Through the dismembered soldier’s body, the grieving mother cradling her dead child, mangled bodies, and crumbling environment, Picasso presents a moving depiction of the tragedy of war. And, through this depiction, this piece of artwork pertains to the prevailing theme of the Destruction of War in art throughout history through it’s imagery of the resulting calamities and chaos of war.