By: Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso Born on October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain Invented Cubanism Became one of the most influential and greatest artists in the 20 th century He was 91 when he died in 1973 in France

Background of Guernica The painting is based on the bombing of the city of Guernica in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. 1,685 people died Picasso painted Guernica as a reaction to the bomb

Guernica Completed mid-June ft. tall and 25.6 ft. wide, a mural-size canvas painted in oil. It is an example of Cubism and Surrealism.

The light bulb would symbolize the bomb. Interpretation Flower in the hand of a dead man. Colors: Picasso only used black, grey, and white to portray the sorrowful atmosphere and convey suffering and disorder. The newspaper is how Picasso found out about the bombing.

Interpretation Cont. Guernica shows the cataclysms of war as well as the anguish and destruction it inflicts upon people, especially innocent civilians. With Guernica, Picasso wanted to establish his identity and his strength as an artist when confronted with political authority and intolerable violence.

Locations of Guernica Guernica was initially exhibited in July 1937 at the Spanish Pavilion at the Paris International Exposition Given to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) Between 1939 and 1952, the painting traveled extensively in the United States; between 1953 and 1956 it was shown in Brazil In 1992 it was given up to the Spanish and put in the Museo Reina Sofia

Lasting Impact This painting has attained an enormous reputation over the years, and has become an everlasting reminder of the devastation of war, in addition to becoming an anti-war icon.