Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso - Term Paper Example

Comparing Two Spanish Paintings Introduction Art is an essential part of a nation.. It represents the cultural and historical experiences of people expressed through a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, music, and so on. Usually, art pieces that reflect more the cultural and historical experiences of the people are more effective and appreciated. However, the effect of art on human mind and emotion varies from one person to another, depending on how far a person can relate to the work of art. In the art history of Spain, viewers can find two valuable masterpieces that strongly reflect a momentous event in Spanish history, the Spanish Civil War in 1936. These two paintings are Pablo Picasso’s Guernica and Salvador Dali’s Soft Construction with Boiled Beans. Both Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso are well-known Spanish painters. They have not only accomplished a number of masterpieces that gained worldwide acceptance but they also received considerable criticisms that make them more famous. Dali, whose works usually deal with surrealism, is noted for absurdity. In his painting, Soft Construction with Boiled Beans, Dali presents an image of a monster tearing itself apart. This oil painting is usually referred to as a premonition of the Spanish Civil War because Dali made it six months before the war broke out. The painting, considered to be a surrealist painting, measures 100 cm x 99cm., and is currently housed in Philadelphia Art Museum of Art. Dali is famous for surrealism in his works. Convincingly the surreal nature of Dali’s images has led him to fame, but according to Saladyga, his “eccentric manner and attention-grabbing public actions sometimes drew more attention than his artwork” (15). Specifically, Dali’s Soft Construction with Boiled Beans has gained him both positive and negative commentaries. Nevertheless, the subject, style, and symbols that he used make the painting a real masterpiece as it evokes the cultural and historical experience of the Spanish. Pablo Picasso is likewise a world-renowned Spanish painter and is even more famous and respected than Dali in the visual art scene. He is well-known for cubism, a style he himself made popular. With his craftsmanship and hard work, Picasso can be considered the most prolific artist not only of his time but even of all times. Throughout his lifetime, he produced a total of 6,000 paintings, 165 of which he painted in 1969 alone, when he was 88 years old (Whitman 53). He started painting at two years old and produced sketches, sculptures, lithography, and even plays before he died at 92 (Whitman 53). Guernica is one of his masterpieces. This oil painting, which measures 11 feet tall and 25.6 feet wide, was painted in 1937, two days after the bombing of Guernica. To date, it reminds the Spanish of the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica by some German bombers who were allegedly supporters of General Franco during the Spanish Civil War. At present, the painting is housed in Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid but a number of replications including the one in the United Nations have been on display worldwide. Both paintings mentioned reflect the painters’ view of the Spanish Civil War. According to Beevor (19), the war started on July 17, 1936 and lasted until April 1, 1939. It began after the proclamation of opposition by some Spanish generals led by Jose Sanjurjo against the leadership of the then President Manuel Azana. The group of generals were supported by a number of groups, including the Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right, Carlists, and Fascist Falange, which were strong political parties at the time. Hence, the move resulted in political and military warfare. Later, the government obtained support from Germany, Italy and Portugal, thus heightening the conflict especially with the bombing of Guernica, Basque Country on April 26, 1937 by German and Italian troops. Guernica is said to be a marketplace, thus many people were hurt during the bombing, especially since that day was a market day. Expectedly, there was public uproar on the said bombing, and such became the subject of Pablo Picasso’s painting. The war was made worse with Gen. Francisco Franco’s protracted war with the government, which was supported by the left-wing Republican Government, which gained support from Soviet Union and Mexico. The war finally ended with the victory of the conservative Nationalists, which sent many leftists to Southern France for exile. The events of the Civil War left many sad memories to Spanish nationals. In the art scene, a number of artists including Picasso and Dali have come up with their own illustrations of the events of the war. Picasso made Guernica in response to the bombing of the place, whereas Dali proudly presented his foresight of the war in the painting, Soft Construction with Boiled Beans. Both work are reminiscent of the emotions that poured during the Spanish Civil War. However, when comparing Picasso’s painting, Guernica with Dali’s Soft Construction with Boiled Beans, modern viewers could appreciate Dali’s work more because of its style and power to evoke the emotions brought about by the Spanish Civil War experience. Analysis Basically, Guernica reflects Picasso’s criticism of the incident that happened at the time of Franco. The reception that the painting received after its exposition in 1937 shows that despite the political conflict during Picasso’s time, people still valued peace. As a Spanish artist, Picasso is able to capture the general feeling of the people during his time and even beyond. The work embodies the historical as well as the cultural experience of the Spanish. Picasso claims that his work features several images including women struggling inside a burning room. In one commentary, Larrea noted the presence of, “a mother with a dead child, and on the ground the hollow fragments of a warrior’s figure, one hand clutching a broken sword near which a flower is growing.” (Larrea 11 ). At the center is “a dying horse pierced by a spear hurled or dropped from above. At the left, a bull stands, apparently unmoved. Between the heads of the bull and the horse is a bird with upraised open beak.” (Larrea 11). All these images represent different individuals. For instance the mother and child represent the innocent victims, the dying horse represents the working class, while the bull represents the government. The works of Dali and Picasso share some similarities. In particular, they both deal with the same subject, that is, resistance to war and violence. In his painting, Dali reveals resistance to the Civil War by featuring a monstrous creature which tears up itself. Tearing up itself suggests self-destruction, and by far, elaborates the Civil War that happened in Spain in 1936. Actually, the painting was finished a few months before the war broke out, making Dali claim his ability to foresee the future. The monster in the painting that has with him some beans appears not to have been content with the beans he has for meal time. Thus, the beans are scattered around him, signifying dissatisfaction from his own meal. Analysis Comparing the two works in terms of their depiction of the Spanish Civil War is not easy because both works do not only embody Spanish culture and emotion but they also reflect the different styles of the artists. Nevertheless, in terms of their effect on viewers, Dali’s work can be perceived as more emphatic than that of Picasso’s. The subject of Dali’s work may be more eye catchy than Picasso’s; thus modern viewers may find it more relevant to their experience. The concept of the self-destructive monster captivates the attention of any viewer. The figure cannot be mistaken for a human being because of its brownish green color and ugly appearance. The surreal appearance of the main figure in the painting, thus provide a peculiar experience that may be valuable to modern viewers. Similarly, Guernica reveals an event during the Spanish Civil War. However, unlike Soft Construction, Guernica was painted after the bombing happened. As such, it is a lot more comprehensive in its content. Picasso uses a number of different figures that are mostly women to emphasize the fact that the victims of war are usually those who are unfortunately weak, unarmed, and unable to protect themselves from bombings, such as women and children. The human figures, the use of female and children is very suitable to emphasize the truth that the victims of the bombing were unarmed, helpless, and innocent civilians. Considering the main figures that the two artists used to represent their country, the Spanish audience may be divided in their view of the two paintings. Particularly, modern viewers may find Dali’s work more interesting than that of Picasso’s because of Soft Construction’s peculiarity. The surreal experience that Dali creates for the viewers brings the audience to an altered state, which is far from the ordinary and is a usually a requirement for art appreciation. This altered state is far from the monotonous life that viewers have been acquainted to. As such, seeing the monstrous figure could lead the audience in awe, which suggests effective and unforgettable art experience. Nevertheless, the peculiarity of Dali’s main figure may be less valuable and appropriate for conservative audiences. First, a country such as Spain is usually portrayed as a beautiful or sensible woman, such as the figures in Guernica. Second, the monster in Dali’s painting does not reflect the usually weak personality that a native country has, which again is captured by Picasso in Guernica. The reason behind Dali’s choice of main figure cannot be denied; it is to produce a surreal experience, which he can definitely attain. Therefore, when viewed by modern viewers, Dali’s work may be more valuable. However, in terms of the figures used, the women and children by Picasso may be viewed as more appropriate by those who appreciate classical art. Women and children usually represent the marginalized, the innocent, and the weak sector of society. Thus, using women and children helps to establish sympathy, thus make the work more relevant to the experience and character of the audience. The setting of the painting is another consideration to make when analyzing the two masterpieces. In particular, Dali’s work is set in a wasteland, which is more suggestive of war. In contrast, Picasso’s setting is a room or a confined structure. In this regard, Dali’s work is more accurate than that of Picasso’s. Note that the bombing of Guernica happened in a marketplace, which is supposed to be an open space. Thus, in terms of setting, Dali’s work is more appropriate and valuable. Both works use symbols either to evoke feelings or to instil concepts. Dali uses minimal and concrete symbols, whereas Picasso uses more meaningful ones. In Soft Construction, Dali uses beans aside from the monster. The beans may be representative of the simple life that people lived during the time of the Spanish Civil War. The beans could also represent the impoverished state that they had. Seeing the beans scattered around the monster, one could note the lack of nourishment that could have caused the monster to destroy itself. If one has to relate this to the real setting, it could noted that the people during the Spanish Civil War had less than enough to make better sense of their life with. In contrast, Picasso uses more symbols that are even more meaningful including the dying horse, the bull that gores the horse, the sword with a flower, the bird with an open beak, the electric bulb, and so on. According to Hensbergen (224), the bull in the painting symbolizes the Church or religion. As such, the horse, which is the central figure in the work, represents the government being devoured by the bull. Larrea (34) believes that this is Franco’s fascism that has come to an end, thus the horse is dying in agony. Such demonstrates the fall of the government and its failure to defend itself from different forces, and its ability to carry the soldier whose body is trampled on the ground with only his sword where a flower incredibly grows. The symbol of the sword with the flower could mean the inability of the military to protect its people, whereas the light bulb could serve as education, the key to stop the oppression that women, children, and marginalized sectors suffer from. With the symbols used by the two artists, Dali’s work can be commended for its concreteness, but considering the meaning attached to the symbols used, Picasso’s use of symbolism is more meaningful and sensible. Emphasis is another dimension that should be looked into when analyzing works of art. It is very important to establish emphasis in order ensure getting the meaning across the audience. To achieve this, artists should establish the centrality of theme and meaning. Importantly, the two works clearly establish emphasis. However, Dali, with the minimal use of figures and symbols achieves better emphasis than Picasso. The centrality and concreteness of the monstrous figure on the whole canvass makes the work achieve better emphasis. However, considering the difficulty of establishing emphasis due to the number of figures that appear in Guernica, critics may likewise applaud Picasso for still achieving emphasis with the dying horse acting as the central figure. As such, although Dali’s work achieves more emphasis, Picasso’s work cannot be considered inferior because the latter artist was by far more elaborate and comprehensive in his presentation of the historical experience of his people. To evaluate the effectiveness of the work in its appeal to the audience, it is also important to take notice of emotionality. This can be evaluated by taking note of the expression and overall emotions expressed by the figures in the works. It should be noted that Dali achieves better emotionality than Picasso mainly because of the style of the painter. Dali achieves better emotionality because he uses a realistic style in drawing his figures. Although the central figure in Soft Construction is a monster, Dali makes it seem like a real creature that has submitted to self-destruction. Likewise, there seems like movement in the scene. This is achieved by the expression on the face of the creature. In addition, the contrast in colors, especially in the skies and on the legs of the monster show a more realistic rendition of the subject. In contrast, the use of cubism in presenting his subject makes Picasso unable to achieve closeness with reality. Such style may be considered part of his originality but it does not help to emphasize the emotions embedded in the art. For instance, the appearance of the head of the woman near the center of the painting can be considered inappropriate as does not appear connected to a body. Rather, it gives an illusion that there is a window or a box opening that allows the figure to show up, which is quite puzzling. Moreover, Guernica contains other elements that make it less perfect or even flawed. First, there is light casted by the big bulb in the middle but there is none in the lamp that the woman is holding, second, the man on the right side of the painting has features of a man but can likewise be conceived as a beast. There seem to be some portals or box openings, which make the setting look more like a labyrinth than a room. Furthermore, the faces of the human figures look cartoony, thus destroy the intended meaning and emotion of the scenario. Conclusion The two masterpieces are both very reminiscent of the Spanish Civil War. Each work does not only depict the events during the war but they also reflect the experience and the general reaction that the Spanish have against the war. Taking into consideration the subject, style of the artist, and the symbols used, viewers may view Dali’s work titled Soft Construction with Beans more effective than Picasso’s Guernica. First, the former uses symbols and figures that effectively create a warning to viewers on the threat of self-destruction. Using surreal elements, Dali effectively creates in the audience the same feeling that one may feel realizing the catastrophe brought by the Civil War. The act of the monster of tearing out his limbs sarcastically makes the audience feel the same feeling that they should have thinking of their own people fight with each other, regardless of being Spanish or non-Spanish. Importantly, Dali achieves universality in the way he delivers his message because he uses objects that are inconclusive of the Spanish cultural and historical experience. As such, non-Spanish people can likewise relate to the idea. In contrast, Picasso limits the emotional experience embedded in his work by using symbols that directly align with the Spanish culture such as the lamp, the sword, etc. In addition, Picasso employs a style that makes it difficult for the audience to realize the seriousness of tone and the grief over the death and downfall of the government. It can be further said that should Picasso used a realistic style, the embedded emotion could have been emphasized more. Works Cited Hensbergen, Gijs Van. Guernica: The Biography of a Twentieth Century Icon. London: Clays Lmt St. Ives Plc, 2005. Larrea, Juan. Guernica. N.d. Google Books. Web. Saladyga, Stephen Francis. The Mindset of Salvador Dali. Lamplighter (Niagara University). Vol. 1 No. 3 Summer 2006. 7 February 2012. Web. Whitman, Alden. Picasso: Protean and Prodigious the Greatest Force in 70 Years of Art. NY: The New York Times Company, 1977. Read More