Guernica: Picasso’s Cry Against War
Pablo Picasso’s Guernica
Classification
Painting:
Guernica
Artist:
Pablo Picasso
Location:
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid
Date:
1937
Technique:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
3.50m x 7.82m
Style:
Expressionist, Cubist
Subject:
The bombing of Guernica
Commission:
Spanish Pavilion, Paris International Exposition, 1937
Historical Context
On April 26, 1937, Guernica, the historical capital of Basque nationalism, was bombed by German aircraft. This was the first indiscriminate bombing of a civilian population in modern warfare, resulting in 1,654 deaths and 889 injuries out of a population of 7,000. The bombing had no strategic rationale.
Formal Elements
Picasso’s immense canvas conveys his pain and outrage. Guernica dispenses with color, emphasizing form and light. The absence of color may be attributed to Picasso learning of the bombing through French newspapers, with the chromatic austerity reflecting the tragedy’s theme. The lack of volume further enhances the sense of desolation.
Style
Guernica features haunting images reminiscent of Surrealism, while retaining Cubism’s geometric shapes and Expressionism’s dramatic force. This synthesis makes it a defining artwork of the 20th century’s first half.
The painting presents distorted figures, fragmented bodies, and open mouths, incorporating representative symbols of the Spanish people, such as the bull and the horse.
Composition
The composition is carefully structured around a central axis, a corner marked by a white wall, resembling a triptych.
- The main section features the horse and the woman carrying a lamp.
- The right section depicts fire, a screaming woman running with raised arms, and a connection to the central area.
- The left section shows the bull, a woman with a dead child, and a fallen soldier linking it to the center.
Triangular shapes dominate, most notably the central, slightly asymmetrical triangle whose apex aligns with the lamp’s flame. Depth is created through architectural references and the positioning of figures.
Meaning
Guernica transcends formal exercise and personal expression. It is a political statement against barbarism, affirming art’s connection to life. Created during wartime, it represents a plea for peace and progress. Picasso used symbols to create a powerful image criticizing the situation and supporting the Republican government against Franco’s coup.
Beyond ideology, Guernica symbolizes peace and life, with the flower held by the fallen militant representing hope.
Iconography
Mother and Child:
A dead child lies in its mother’s arms, evoking a Pietà-like image. The woman’s cry, depicted as a knife or glass shard, reflects her anguish. Similar expressions of pain are seen in the horse and bull. The mother and child, along with the women observing the horse, evoke traditional crucifixion and descent iconography, creating a secular image of suffering.
Woman with Raised Arms:
This figure raises her arms as if to stop the falling bombs, echoing Goya’s The Third of May 1808. Both depict brutality against innocents by foreign forces attacking a legitimate political system.
Woman at the Window:
This figure represents powerless humanity, holding a lamp that illuminates the truth. The light bulb alludes to the manipulation of information by the coup faction.
Severed Head:
The body of a dead soldier, possibly a Republican militant, lies on the ground.
Horse:
Often depicted in Picasso’s work, the horse here symbolizes the suffering people, placed centrally in turbulent agony.
Bull:
A recurring motif, the bull represents brutality, but in Guernica, it embodies noble and righteous power.
Flower:
Amidst the cries of horses, women, and the bull, the flower held by the fallen warrior symbolizes life, rebirth, and hope.