Hello, artenauta! Today we are going to talk to you about one of the most famous paintings of one of our most famous painters worldwide, Pablo Ruiz Picasso. We would like to tell you some interesting facts about its content and the context in which it was created that will help you to better understand the message that Guernica tries to convey to us.
Meaning of Guernica
- Guernica was painted by Pablo Picasso in Paris in 1937 (a year in which the Spanish Civil War was taking place).
- The painter created this work as a consequence of the bombing, carried out by the German army (on April 26, 1937), on the Basque city that gives its name to the painting.
- Guernica aims to reflect the horror and barbarism caused by war; using allegorical figures to stage the breakdown of peace, despair and suffering that all war causes in human beings who suffer it.
- We are going to interpret some of the figures present in Guernica:
- Mother with dead child in her arms: the desperation of a mother screaming and crying while holding her dead child in her arms is seen.
- Bull: when asked about the symbolism of the bull, Picasso indicated that it represented darkness and brutality.
- Dove (located between the bull and the horse, less visible than other figures as it blends in with the background: since it was represented with a drooping wing, open beak and head looking up, it could represent the breaking of peace.
- Horse: is injured and has difficulty standing. It represents the victims of war.
- Person looking up to the sky with arms raised: shouting and pleading for the war to end.
- Although it may not always appear so in the photographs , it is a large painting (116.6 X 349.3 cm).
- Guernica was commissioned by Josep Renau, Director General of Fine Arts, to be exhibited in the Spanish Pavilion during the International Exposition held in Paris in 1937.
- It is currently exhibited at the
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid).
. We recommend that you visit it to admire every shape and detail, as it will not leave you indifferent.
We hope that you have found all this information about Guernica interesting and, when you can, come and admire it, as it is a painting that impresses in its natural state, due to its dimensions, expressiveness and great representation of detail. You can also learn more about
Pablo Picasso in seven tips
o
30 quotes by Pablo Picasso.
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