Research Paper On Guernica

Pablo Picasso is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, known for creating Cubism among art along with many famous works including Les Demoiselles d’Avignon and Guernica, the latter of which will be talked about in this essay. Picasso was born October 25, 1881 and died April 8, 1973, spending most of his adult life in France painting, sculpting, writing, and much more. He also went through periods of different types of painting styles including the Blue Period, the Rose Period, and a few others. Guernica was from a period of Picasso’s named “surrealism” which consists of illogical scenes and strange creatures created from inanimate objects. Guernica went from an artist’s depiction of a horrific bombing to a revered art masterpiece.

It may be difficult to understand what exactly is happening in the painting even with the background information of it representing a bombing. There are multiple human figures that are disfigured and creature-like, fitting the description of surreal art. The painting is chaotic and rampageous making it difficult to understand what is happening to each individual in it, but every one of their faces shows the same emotions: pain and confusion. There are many different interpretations of Guernica along with the two main elements; the bull and the horse within the painting. These animals are important in Spanish culture and are both used repeatedly in Picasso’s own works to represent different roles and ideas over time. They may represent chaos and confusion, or they may represent something completely different. Picasso himself was unclear on their purpose, declaring that the bull is a bull and the horse is just a horse and if the viewer gives them any meaning, it could very well be