Pablo Picasso Essay Example for Free

Pablo Picasso Essay Pablo Picasso is one Ð ¾f the most prominent and inspiring artists Ð ¾f the 20th century. He produced work in painting, sculpture, prints, murals, and ceramics; regardless Ð ¾f the medium, he was always in demand. During the year 1937, Picasso agreed to paint the centerpiece for The Spanish Pavilion Ð ¾f the 1937 Worlds Fair. For months Picasso was searching for inspiration for the mural, distracted by his sullen mood and dissatisfaction Ð ¾f his work, he continued to put it off. This came to an end on April 28, 1937. In less than two months, Picasso had created Guernica, modern arts most powerful antiwar statement. To fully appreciate the intensity and power Ð ¾f Guernica, it is imperative to understand the story that precedes it. The attack on Guernica was planned on a Monday, market day in the village; most Ð ¾f the population would be out in town. Church bells began to ring, warning Ð ¾f the approaching aircraft. Germanys best-equipped bombers fired more than one hundred thousand pounds Ð ¾f high explosive bombs onto the village Ð ¾f Guernica. People began to scurry into shelters only to find out that the shelters were not strong enough to withstand the powerful bombing that lasted three hours. Entire families were burned or buried in the ruins Ð ¾f the village, along with their cattle and sheep. When the fires subsided, three days later, the center Ð ¾f Guernica had been completely destroyed. The Basque government estimated that 1654 people had died and another 889 were injured during the air raid. However, the government was never able to establish an exact count, soon after the attack, nationalist forces overran Guernica. Soon after news Ð ¾f the bombing reached Paris, Picasso began his work on the mural, which would be called Guernica. Standing eleven and a half feet tall by almost twenty-six feet wide, the oil painting on an unbleached canvas is done in monochromatic harmony, using only values in the gray scale. The painting is full Ð ¾f symbolism, however, Picasso never committed to a specific explanation, leaving interpretation up to the viewer. The speculations as to the exact meanings are numerous and varied, however, it is obvious that the universal theme in Guernica, is the horrors Ð ¾f war and the massacre Ð ¾f innocent people. Towards the left Ð ¾f the painting there is a woman, screaming as she holds the body Ð ¾f an injured or possibly dead child. In front Ð ¾f her lays a lifeless soldier, a broken knife in his hand, above him a horse that has been speared in the side. On the far right there is a woman screaming in pain as she is stuck in a burning house. There is also a bull head in the upper left hand corner, that has been interpreted in many ways, for example, some people see it as a representation Ð ¾f Spain and Spanish values and culture, some believe it represents the victory Ð ¾f the Nazis, some go as far to suggest that the bull is Picasso himself, helplessly looking over the bloody massacre. A light bulb was added at the top Ð ¾f the painting above the head Ð ¾f the horse, some suggest that it was added to shed light on the atrocities Ð ¾f war; others believe it represented the bombs that were dropped that day. Picasso didnt try to recreate the war on canvas; there is no town, no airplanes, and no explosions. However, Guernica is a protest to the brutalities Ð ¾f war. Because Picasso chose to keep his meanings Ð ¾f the symbolism personal, he lets the viewer develop their own ideas and meanings. While Picasso didnt comment much on the symbolism he did reiterate on the paintings obvious anti-war statement: My whole life as an artist has been nothing more than a struggle against reaction and the death Ð ¾f art. In the picture that I am painting which I shall call Guernica I am expressing my horror Ð ¾f the military caste which is now plundering Spain into an ocean Ð ¾f misery and death Pablo Picasso. Picasso has painted the images Ð ¾f the faces in such a way that they seem to reach out and scream for help, they know that they are about to die. His work on Guernica challenges our idea and notion that war is an act Ð ¾f heroism and shows it for what it truly is a brutal act Ð ¾f self- destruction. In 1973, Pablo Picasso died at the age Ð ¾f 92. On the anniversary Ð ¾f his birth, October 25, 1981, Guernica returned to Picassos native soil. It is now showcased at The Riena Sofia, Spains national museum Ð ¾f modern art. Works Cited Fernande Olivier, Pablo Picasso, and Ramon Rentevos picture. http://www. madrid. org/museopicasso/PicassoyArias/galeria/Gpicasso01. htm Getlein, Mark. Living With Art. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2002. Penrose, Roland. The Sculpture Ð ¾f Picasso. New York Museum Ð ¾f Modern Art (1967) First edition. 232p. 260 illustrations