M14 Project 5

Project 5

Pablo Picasso 

Guernica

1937

Oil on canvas

349 x 776 cm

Source 

1. This painting depicts a horse, bull, and six human figures who seem to be in agony or dying. The overlapping and lack of space between each figure in this tiny room creates frantic movement. The left side depicts a screaming woman grieving the death of the baby in her arms. The head of a large white bull, the only calm figure in the painting, floats above the woman's head. Directly below this, a man lays on the ground with a mutated arm. A contrasting white light bulb bursts with light on the ceiling to the right of the bull. The light shines on a horse screaming in pain. 

The right side of the painting has the most action and movement due to the contrasting grays of the light shining down. The light shines on three more figures. One holds their head up to the stark light bulb, one leans through a window, and the last one screams while being engulfed in flames.

2. Picasso stretched an enormous canvas for this painting. A monochromatic palette creates stark contrast between each figure and the light source. This jarring difference between black and white sections also create dramatic intensity. At first glance, the painting is difficult to decipher. The small indoor space contains multiple viewpoints which reference the artist's earlier Cubist style. 

This painting might be a response to his opinion on war. The whole scene features suffering figures, death, wounds, weapons, and fire. The palette may reference black and white photographs used for reference.

3. This painting was completed in 1937. It can be seen as a portrait of pain and horror that war causes. During the same year, the town of Gernika was devastated during an air attack due to the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish man on the ground, presumably dead, may represent the Republic who were fighting for a new Spain. The woman holding the dead baby represents life, but the dead baby suggests loss and the pain of the war. 

4. The woman with the dead baby is, perhaps, the most powerful emotional element in the entire painting. The woman holds her head straight up in the air while screaming in agony. Her open mouth, exaggerated neck, and triangular teeth represent her intense pain. 

5. The monochromatic color palette of this painting is its major strength. The extreme contrast between the figures and their abstraction emphasize the intense movement throughout the painting. I also think this can be it's weakness. At first glance, the painting can be difficult to decipher due to all of that abstraction and contrast. However, once the viewer looks at it for a while, they can begin to pull the line figures out and make sense of what's happening.