Pablo Picasso: Guernica (1937)

           During the Spanish Civil War, there was a major conflict between the Republicans [Who were supported by Mexico, France, the US, France, and the USSR] and the Nationalists [Who were supported by Italy and Germany]. While the Nationalists represented a fascist government, the Republicans advocated Democracy and freedom (International World History Project). With the backing of the western world, the Republicans were able to resist the Nationalists for a short period of time. But eventually, due to the help of Italy and Nazi Germany, the Nationalists were able to overwhelm the Republicans and win the conflict as a whole. One event that proved to be crucial for the Nationalists was the bombing of the city of Guernica. Using Blitzkrieg tactics, German bomber planes bombed the city for three hours and fighter planes shot anyone who tried to escape the destruction (PBS). The results were devastating: approximately seventy percent of the town had been destroyed and one third of the population had been killed or wounded. But what was so shocking about this attack was that it was not even targeted at military personnel; it was aimed directly at the civilian population in hopes that it would break down the moral of the Republicans. In fact, the attack was scheduled on Monday which was also market day, a day when all the civilians would be out in the open, vulnerable to attack (Holliday). Sad to say, this would be one of many attacks in the future because for Hitler, Guernica had served its purpose as a testing ground for a new tactic: The Blitzkrieg (PBS). Seeing that it had worked, Hitler then went on to use it to conquer much of central Europe, thus causing WW2. In WW2, 17 million deaths were incurred due to advancements in bombing techniques, the tank, and air combat in general (World Book). The bombing of Guernica started a destructive trend which would continue all the way into the 21^st century.

          Being a native Spaniard and a die-hard republican, Pablo Picasso was outraged when news spread of the Guernican Bombing (Holliday). With fervor and determination, Picasso set out to create a mural that would spread a message and prove a point regarding this tragedy. Being 11 feet tall and 25 feet long, this mural has a big impact on the viewer just due to it's enormous size (Holliday). Through its size alone it tells the viewer that Guernica is a “big issue.” And when one looks at the faces in the painting, one of the first things they notice is the fact that all of their mouths are open, even the horses (Holliday). This opening of the mouth indicates a sign of shock and a sense of fear. The shock is produced from the surprise that the people of Guernica had when the attack happened and the fear is produced from the continual bombing and the decimation of the city. It could also be a fear of the future of warfare in general. If the Germans could pull off such a feat, what else was in store for the future of war? The horse in the center has his tongue sticking out, expressing extreme exhaustion and thirst. The horse represents the people of Guernica, who thirst for democracy and freedom. Yet if we look closely at the horses legs, we can see that he is buckling to the ground, falling to his demise, symbolic of the Republican defeat (Holliday). Next there is the mother who is weeping over here dead child on the far left. With her head cocked back, she seems to be crying to the gods, or possibly cursing the planes overhead who have murdered her young child. We know the child is dead given that the whites of his eyes are visible, and the awkward positioning of his head (Holliday). In the center, there is a man with a broken sword in his hand, trampled on the ground. Like the horse, he represents the Guernican people, and the sword he holds in his hand represents the battles and fights the Republicans had against the nationalists. The Fact that he lays on the ground with a broken sword shows us that he was unsuccessful in his cause. Regardless, next to his left hand, lay a small patch of flowers, an icon that seems disturbingly inappropriate in this scene. But in reality, they signify hope for the Spanish People (Holliday). The flowers state that though they may have lost the battle, they can still win the war. Despite Picasso’s hopeful aspirations, the republicans lost the war. Later Germany's influence spread all the way to Paris France, the location of Picasso's dwelling. Luckily for him due to his international fame and prestige, they did not dare to execute him in fear of the backlash they would receive from the international community (Pablo Picasso: His Paintings, art, and life). Despite the fact that he had no previous military experience, Picasso was a man who felt and understood the pain of others and conveyed a message of reality through his brush.