Guernica is one of the most symbolic images
of the contemporary world. It is the image of worldwide anti-war sentiment and
of the fight for freedom. Guernica, probably Picasso’s most famous work, is
certainly his most powerful political statement. It was painted as an immediate
reaction to the Nazi’s disastrous bombing practice on the Basque town of
Guernica during Spanish civil war.
Guernica serves as an inspiration, this is an
illustrative painting, not a chronicle one. That means its main object is not
to describe what happened in the Basque city but to act as an expression
against warfare and brutality.
There are nine characters in the
painting—six humans and three animals. At the far left there is a woman with
her dead child in her arms, symbol of a mother’s love and suffering. Others
describe it as the image of Madrid, the capital of Spain, being shut off by the
fascist army. Behind them there is a bull and a wounded horse; these two animals
have a long lore in Picasso’s work.one of the most popular explanation is bull
represents the cruelty of war, whereas the horse is another reminder of the
suffering of people. At the base of the painting, a brutally dismembered soldier,
lying on the floor normally believed to represent the military losses of the
war and role of army. In the center of the painting, there is a figure of a
dove (in between horse and bull) that seems to be screaming—a symbol of menaced
peace in Europe. Finally, there are three other women to the right of the horse
One of them with her breast uncovered and wounded leg—symbolize as the young
Spanish republic that has been attacked by the rebels. Above her there is
another woman overlooking from the windows and holding a light. Some theories
see in them as a reference to the technological revolution in the 20th
century. Others see them as symbols of the last remnants of sensible thinking
and the enlightment in Europe. Finally, there is one last woman shouting of fear
while a house behind her is on fire, a further reminder of the cruelty and
losses suffered during the war.
Picasso’s Guernica makes sure that the story of the
small Basque town will never be forgotten, will survive in our collective memory
to be exchanged and passed down for cohorts. Guernica is not mythical in the
fictional sense, but in the sense of its global, communal language, spoken
through the bull, the horse and the woman. Like all myths, Picasso’s myth is a
personal and cultural creation, highlighting with pinpoint precision the
dangers of mortal hubris.
By Zavizah.
Reference:
https://www.academia.edu/13041359/Guernica_Picasso_surrealism_and_the_Spanish_civil_war
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