Introduction
Guernica is a famous painting by the great Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. The canvas was painted in 1937, and the picture has a deep symbolic meaning associated with the Spanish Civil War. The main themes of the picture are the bombing of the Spanish city of Guernica, the horrors of war, cruelty, and the dark sides of human nature. To understand the Guernica painting, one must know its political and historical context. During the attacks on Spain, the opponents organized the bombardment of the small Basque town called Guernica, which had serious historical and cultural significance for the local population (Wheeler, 2020). This event pushed Picasso to draw a canvas, which would later be recognized worldwide as ‘Guernica.’
Guernica by Picasso
My family upbringing and school education have taught me the value of peace inside the state and globally. That is why the anti-war idea of the artifact is close to my beliefs and perception of the matter. Cultural differences and similarities of people living in different geographical zones affect their views on things. Some people, for example, may support some political decisions, whereas others may be against them. Picasso, for instance, depicted the horrors of Nazism, and historical events related to this movement affected his home state. On the other hand, Italian and German politicians may have another perspective. Culture and artistic expression in human thought and behavior have a crucial role in determining and raising awareness about the differences in perception. Dalai Lama, a famous spiritual leader, and Edgar H. Shein, an organizational psychologist, both emphasized the importance of looking at a situation from different angles. This allows one to admit the cultural differences and use them while finding answers to the problems.
Guernica depicts six human figures: four women, a man and a child, a horse, and a bull. By using symbolism, the author expressed different emotions and aspirations. The painting expresses the emotional and physical consequences of war and cruelty. Each figure drawn on the canvas corresponds to a particular feeling. Perhaps the least ambiguous are the distorted images of women suffering physical and mental anguish. The artist communicates the despair and grief of the suffering through their pointed tongues and tear-shaped eyes. On the floor is a figure who is identified as a soldier. It may be the personification of the newly created Republic. Guernica expresses the anti-war mood and encourages the viewers to feel the tragedy.
Certain features of the artwork contribute to its expressive power. First is the color of the painting, which is black and white. Initially, Picasso wanted to make the painting in color, but later, he abandoned this decision in favor of black and white tones. The choice of such strict colors can be explained by the artist’s desire to convey the canvas’s closeness to a newspaper photograph. This makes the picture lifeless and sad and indicates where Picasso got his information about the bombing. The abstract figures depicted in the painting are the second feature that gives Guernica expressiveness. The figures symbolize the horrors of war – death, pain, fear, despair. Almost all the characters have their mouths open – they seem to freeze in a silent scream. The third feature is related to the size of the art object. The picture has an unusual rectangular shape and huge dimensions – almost 3.5 by 7.8 meters. This helps the viewer to notice and appreciate the painting’s scale and grandeur.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the artwork by Picasso is a vivid example of how one can use expressiveness to deliver their own perspective on the subject matter. The author referred to particular techniques and manipulations to show the message of the painting. The perception of things, in turn, is influenced by cultural background. That is why it is important to realize that people from different places and with different cultures are likely to have differing ideas on the same topics.
Reference
Wheeler, D. (2020). Culture as a democratic weapon: Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. In Following Franco, pp. 219-234. Manchester University Press.