Guernica por Pablo Picasso

Picasso Pablo Picasso era un artist muy famoso de España. Vivió en Francia porque era comunista y a él, no le gustaba los fascistas.

La Guerra Civil 1936-1939 Spain was involved in a Civil War The Republicans wanted a free and independent government; the Nationalists wanted a military backed dictatorship. The leader of the Nationalists was a general named Fransisco Franco.

Franco & Hitler Franco was friends with Adolph Hitler. Hitler had invented a new war tactic known as saturation bombing. Hitler needed a way to test his new idea. Franco needed a way to bring Spain under his control. He needed to terrify Spain into a united group under his dictatorship. They agreed to a plan.

Market Day Guernica is the capital of the Basque region of Spain. Monday, April 26 of 1937 was market day. Everyone came to town on market day to buy food and hear the gossip about the war. Also, in the market square were posted fatality lists from the war. Most men were off fighting, so the population of Guernica was mostly women, children and the elderly.

The Experiment For three hours, German planes dropped bombs on the town of Guernica. The result was total devastation. Those who did escape were machined gunned to death as Franco had positioned soldiers at the perimeter of the city.

Picasso’s Reaction In Paris, Picasso read about the tragedy in the newspaper. As a Spaniard, he was outraged. He was asked to prepare a painting for the Spanish pavilion at the World’s Fair in Paris. Picasso began a huge canvas on which he protested the bombing of Guernica.

Guernica

Chaotic??? Guernica was painted to be chaotic. The action moves from right to left. We are used to reading left to right. Thus, our eyes are already upset by the flow of the painting.

Organization The picture appears chaotic, but it is actually a very organized work. It is divided into a medieval triptych.

Triptych A medieval triptych was a painting used to decorate the altar of a cathedral. Two side paintings are separate, but they relate to a larger, middle painting.

Triptych The use of the triptych was Picasso’s nod to his Catholic upbringing. It symbolized God.

The Pyramid

The Triangle The triangle has long been a symbol of the Freemason’s; they are a scientific organization. The pyramid is topped by the “eye” (look at a dollar bill). The triangle was Picasso’s nod to science. His entire life, Picasso was caught between God and science. This painting showcases his dilemma.

The Bull Everything in the painting is looking at the bull. The bull is a symbol of Spain. The bull is the only figure with all four feet on the ground. His tail is smoke, symbolizing that he [Spain] is wounded. Yet, he still stands. Think of New York after 911.

The Horse The horse symbolizes Franco. The horse is angry. There is a “bomb” in his cheek, and it is pointed at the bull [Spain}. The horse’s body is made of stippling. This could symbolize the newspaper (how Picasso heard of the tragedy) OR they may be tally marks of the dead.

The Eye The “eye” is composed of a sun and an electric light bulb. This symbol, although two sources of light, is not shedding any light. Natural light (Nature: God) or electrical light (Science) could not explain this tragedy.

The Onlooker There is the head of a woman looking in from outside the painting. Her head is a tear drop (the world was shocked and saddened by the tragedy). She holds a lamp that sheds no light. (The world could not understand the tragedy).

The Falling Man This man is on fire (from the explosion) He is trying to escape through the window, but the window is too small. This symbolizes that even those who escaped the bombing could not escape the city.

The Weeping Woman This woman is weeping. She is holding her dead child. Her tongue is sharp, symbolizing the sharp cries of the dead and mourning. She stands under the bull…for protection?

The Statue Across the bottom is a body. It is composed of the head and arms of a fallen soldier and the knee and foot of a running woman. This body balances the composition. The head is hollow; the statue represents the destruction of infrastructure, peace and order.

Growing from the statue’s hand is a faint flower. But wait… Growing from the statue’s hand is a faint flower. What could this symbolize?

Picasso Never Explained When asked the meaning of the symbols, Picasso said, “The horse is a horse and the bull is a bull.” He wanted each person to take away his or her own interpretation.

Guernica then… The painting toured the world after the 1937 World’s Fair. Picasso insisted that the painting never go into Spain until Franco was dead. In 1983, after Franco’s death, Guernica entered Spain for the first time.

…and now It is housed in the Reina Sofía Gallery of modern art in Madrid. It no longer travels because experts have decided that is was being damaged due to its size.