1. Guernica PICASSO

2. Guernica 1937 Oil on canvas 349 x 776 cm Pablo Picasso

3. What is it about?
Guernica is a painting by Pablo Picasso, depicting the bombing of Guernica in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.
Guernica shows the tragedies of war and suffering inflicted upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians.
The Nationalists, lead by General Francisco Franco had the aid of Guernica German soldiers who were under Hitler’s reign at the time.
The village of Guernica underwent attack of about 2 hours by German warplanes. By aiding the Nationalists, the Germans showed solidarity with Franco, but also an opportunity to test out new weapons and tactics.

4. Signs and Symbols
Guernica depicts suffering people, animals, and buildings wrenched by violence and chaos.
Woman grieving over a dead child in her arms.
A horse falling in agony as it had just been run through by a spear The leg's knee cap forms the head's nose.
Under the horse is a dead, apparently dismembered soldier; his hand on a severed arm still grasps a shattered sword from which a flower grows.

5. Signs and Symbols cont’
A light bulb- Picasso's intended symbolism in regards to this object is related to the Spanish word for lightbulb; "bombilla", which makes an allusion to "bomb" and therefore signifies the destructing effect which technology can have on society.
A frightened female figure, who seems to be witnessing the scenes before her, appears to have floated into the room through a window. Her arm, also floating in, carries a flame-lit lamp. The lamp is positioned very close to the bulb, and is a symbol of hope.

6. Signs and Symbols cont’
A woman staggers towards the center below the floating female figure.
Daggers that suggest screaming replace the tongues of the bull, grieving woman, and horse.
A bird, possibly a dove, stands on a shelf behind the bull in panic.
A figure with arms raised in terror is entrapped by fire from above and below.

7. According to Historians…
The following list of interpretations reflects the general consensus of historians:
The shape and posture of the bodies express protest.
Picasso uses black, white, and grey paint to set a somber mood and express pain and chaos.
Flaming buildings and crumbling walls not only express the destruction of Guernica, but reflect the destructive power of civil war.
The newspaper print used in the painting reflects how Picasso learned of the massacre.
The light bulb in the painting represents the sun.
The broken sword near the bottom of the painting symbolizes the defeat of the people at the hand of their tormentors.