Picasso's Guernica - Essay Example

Assessment Component One: Picasso's Guernica Word Count: Fig Pablo Picasso, Guernica, May-June 1937. Oil on canvas, 137 3/8 X 305 7/8 in. (349 X 777 cm). Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid. On permanent loan from the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.1 I. Introduction The painting chosen for critique is Pablo Picasso's Guernica. Guernica was chosen to be analyzed due to many factors, including the popularity of its creator, the special meaningfulness it represents, and the aesthetic qualities inherent in the work. Pablo Picasso is perhaps one of the most well-known painters of modern times; consequentially, it should come as no surprise that his work is favored enough to appear herein. The apparent meaning of Guernica, which will be discussed further in detail later on, is simply fascinating due to the leitmotif it represents for an entire period during the Spanish Civil War. Picasso was quite clear in being intentional with the underlying meaning of his work. Undoubtedly, this painting's underpinnings suggest a build-up of fomented bitterness regarding the war and its effects on Spain and its people. This is clearly demonstrated through the the perspective of the work, Cubism. The aesthetic nature of Guernica is striking, due to the fact that it is painted in three colors only: black, white, and grey. Notwithstanding perspective, the use of materials is significant, as the is theway in which the Guernica was composed. Further, both the inherent and hidden meanings, unintended and intentional in nature, extricate a rich world of meaning that gives it a life all its own. Here, one will consider perspective and use of materials, including the element of composition; and, notwithstanding, an explanation regarding the meaning behind Guernica will be duly attempted. II. Perspective and Use of Materials Following is the information about the artist and the painting. The artist whose work is being analyzed is Pablo Picasso. The title of the work (Fig. 1) is Guernica. The size of the painting is 137 3/8 X 305 7/8 in. (349 X 777 cm). Perspective is very important in Picasso's Guernica. Like many of his works during the war period, Picasso chose to do this painting in the style of Cubism. The elements of Cubism that make it so distinct are the boxy qualities of the faces and bodies in the painting, which are designed from multiple perspectives-head-on, from the right side, and from the left side. Technicallly speaking, the people and animals with Cubist elements in Picasso's painting Guernica tend to have anguished-looking faces and mangled bodies. This adds to a sense of foreboding in the work and gives the painting an an all-around pervasively haunting quality. Perspective is a particularly interesting problematic in Guernica, as one can see automatically that there is a twisted mindset-a tortured soul, if one wills-which lies within the source of the painting. The perspective sets the mood and the tone for Guernica, obviously giving it depressing yet action-filled nuances. The use of materials in Guernica speaks volumes about the painting itself and what the artist sought to achieve. Guernica is a rather large painting (349 X 777 cm), having been put behind bullet-proof glass at one point in order to protect it. The largeness of the painting denotes the importance it had in Picasso's mind. Guernica instantly makes an impression upon the viewer at first sight, due to its relatively huge size. The painting's size is meant to be large for a reason; it is supposed to overwhelm the viewer. The fact that the painting was done in oil was probably a matter of comfort for Picasso; it was a medium that allowed for subtle changes without having to rework the entire painting-unlike other mediums such as acrylic or watercolor-where one mistake could ruin the piece in its entirety. III. Composition The fact that Picasso's Guernica is painted in the various stark shades of black, white, and grey, connotes a certain sort of simplicity dedicated to the characters which were painted-which emphasizes their facial expressions. In fact, these colors demand and command the viewer's attention. The composition of the work can be divided into three major stages. The first third of the painting, on the far left, there are images of fire, a mother holding a dead child, a dead man, and a bull. The second portion of the painting (the middle) displays a screaming horse and at least one mangled human body part. The third portion of the painting, on the far right, shows a person's body, a person's head, and half of a person's body from the shoulders up whose arms are raised in the air. In each stage of composition, it is obvious that there is inherent suffering taking place. The black in the background clearly contrasts from the whites and greys in the foreground which inform the mood of the piece. The white and grey images are meant to highlight suffering, as the faces of the people and animals in the painting are twisted and evidently in some sort of mental anguish. The emotional tone of the painting is heightened by the multiple aspects of mangled body parts, various faces sprinkled throughout which are in pain, and the appearance of a light bulb in the second portion and the existence of a fire in the first. All of this action makes for a compelling piece which draws the eye of the viewer in immediately, capitalizing upon the viewer's human emotions-reaching deeper and deeper into the viewer's psyche through the subjects' very personal and evidently unbearable pain. IV. Meaning of Guernica Guernica is a highly symbolic painting, which will be analyzed in thirds. In the first part of the painting (on the left), one of the first subjects the viewer notices is a mother crying out in pain, face to the sky, while apparently holding a dead baby. It looks as though the baby's neck has been broken the way that the child's head is rendered by Picasso. This signifies ultimate suffering, and sets the general tone of the painting. In the Spanish Civil War, many women lost their sons to battle, and this image is representative of that fact. The (one can only assume) dying man below the mother is crying out in anguish. One can infer that perhaps this is the father of the child, and he too may symbolize the fathers that died in the Spanish Civil War. He is reach a hand up to the mother, but alas he cannot help her. He is suffering his own personal pain. Meanwhile, the bull, one of the national symbols of Spain, looks aghast, as though he does not believe his eyes and what he is witnessing is the truth-as is eviden due to his mouth being wide open as a carp's, and his eyes being wide and portrayed as a human's eyes. This symbolizes the national shame felt about the Spanish Civil War. Additionally, in the second portion of the painting (in the middle), the main subject is a horse crying out in pain, actually screaming. This horse could very well symbolize that, since that Picasso uses this image-which was many times used in farms, as was the bull-to denote the inner strife of village peasants and people who were of low-class in the Spanish Civil War, who were mainly the soldiers in the armies fighting. The mangled bodies and tortured faces in the third portion of the painting (on the far right) denote a severe displeasure on the part of the artist with regard to the human suffering caused by the Spanish Civil War. The one figure with his arms up in the air looks as though he is crying out to the sky, perhaps screaming "Why" This emphasizes the idea that war is senseless, causes pain, and ultimately is unfruitful. Picasso here is clearly taking a stand against the Fascist regime of Francisco Franco and making subtle references in Guernica to elements of the war that leave the viewer wondering why this war had to happen (and, more specifically, the bombing in Guernica, Spain), and the relative unrest it caused amongst the working class and the common people in Spain. V. Conclusion Guernica is a painting of many contrasts. Although physically the painting appears in black, white, and grey, its Cubist perspective and relatively haunting size give the viewer a sense of looming emptiness and depression. The composition of Guernica is designed so as to make the viewer painfully aware of suffering in the world and the dynamic nature of war yet also the static position of most normal people in a time of tumultuous and senseless violence. Guernica exemplifies many of the feelings that were most likely present in the Spanish populace regarding the Spanish Civil War and the evils of Fascism, exacerbated by Francisco Franco. Guernica is a painting that Picasso composed six years after a senseless bombing of ordinary pedestrians in the Spanish Civil War, which emphasized the idiocy of the Spanish Civil War. All the elements of perspective, use of materials, composition, and the meaning of Guernica have been extrapolated upon, and it is hoped that this painting will serve to highlight the horrors of war both now and in the future. REFERENCES Nash, Steven A., Ed., et al. Picasso and the War Years: 1937-1945. New York: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 1998. Picasso, Pablo. Guernica. [Image of Painting]. USA: University of Texas at Austin Department of Rhetoric and Writing, 1937. http://viz.cwrl.utexas.edu/node/343 Retrieved 26 Oct 2009. Read More