French artist of Spanish origin. Painter, graphic artist, sculptor, artist of applied arts, books and theater. Founder of cubism and the most famous artist of the twentieth century. His paintings of women do not look like women. His self-portraits have nothing to do with the appearance of the maestro himself

Pablo Picasso's paintings go beyond empty abstraction and pure formalism of technique. This webpage is dedicated to one of the Spanish artist's most famous works, «Guernica»

«Guernica­» was painted by Picasso in  1937. It is rightfully considered one of the central works in the creativity of the artist, because it intertwines many cross-cutting themes and problems for Picasso

1937

The reason that prompted Picasso to paint the picture was the Nazi bombing of a small Basque town in Spain called Guernica

This event almost immediately received worldwide publicity as one of the most striking episodes of the inhuman policy of Nazism

the city was destroyed by the bombing of fascist aircraft

70%

>1500

According to various sources, the bombing claimed the lives of several hundred to several thousand people. Most of the dead were women and children, as the bulk of the male population at the time was involved in the fighting in the Spanish Civil War

Republican poster issued after the bombing of Guernica: «We accuse the fascists - the murderers of innocent women and children!»

The tragedy taking place in Guernica left no one indifferent. And since Picasso took an active civic and social position, he could not but respond to this phenomenon.

At that time, he was working on a canvas for the Spanish Pavilion at the upcoming World Exhibition in Paris. Having learned about the bombing of Guernica, the artist instantly changes the concept and takes on a new canvas, which has become one of the most powerful artistic and political statements in history

Picasso worked on the painting almost continuously and completed it in a month. Many of his friends periodically watched the work and left their comments. For the first time the finished result was presented at the world exhibition

Guernica by Picasso was created by the author in a fit of creative madness. He was so amazed by what happened that he created a canvas with incredible energy, bewitching and frightening, like the events that took place in the Basque town on April 26, 1937

There is a legend that Picasso was approached by a German officer and, pointing to a picture of «Guernica», asked: «Did you do that?» «No», replied the painter, «you did it»

The main figures in the picture are the horse in the center, agonizing from mortal wounds, and the bull in the corner, with its outlines referring us to the image of the Minotaur. What is the meaning of these figures?

According to the most common point of view, the bull represents the callousness and indifference due to which such things as war and fascism can even take place.

The artist himself claimed that the bull is a symbol of cruelty, and the horse is the people, the pain and loss of the innocent. He later said that both animals meant sacrifice

Despite the horse's apparent anguish, its head remains upright as it struggles to live. This symbolizes the resilience of the people and the ongoing struggle against fascism.

If you look closely at the nostrils and teeth of a horse, you can see the human skull, which is an additional reflection of the suffering of people and, of course, emphasizes the amount of loss and destruction.

On the right side of the picture, the figures run away from the burning building, from the window of which a woman falls

On the left, a sobbing mother holds her child in her arms, in an inhuman howl turning her curses to the sky. Her scream contrasts especially against the background of the forever silent baby

Stigmata can be seen on the palms of a dead soldier. Picasso was not religious. With this symbol, he wanted to show suffering for no apparent reason. Like Christ, people are sometimes forced to suffer because someone has decided for them that this is how it should be. This is how the Spanish people suffered at the behest of the fascists

The body of a man is torn to pieces (an image of human victims). In one hand the soldier holds a broken sword and a flower. The sword may represent the inability of the citizens of Guernica to fight back against the forces of fascism. The flower symbolizes hope

We also see a dove hidden by darkness - one of the many-sided symbols of Picasso. Picasso's version, with the bird's tormented expression and shattered body, suggests a symbol of the destruction of the world

The lamp in the shape of an eye is not in vain the semantic center of the picture. On the one hand, it means a certain force that cannot be resisted, and on the other hand, it illuminates the space around with the light of hope. It is not for nothing that in despair the figures in the picture throw back their heads, look up with empty eyes and stretch out their hands to the sky

The right side of the canvas is occupied by a woman throwing up her hands, embraced by the horrors of what is happening. A woman holds a burning lamp with her hand extended forward. Instead of a pupil, she has an electric light bulb. Her eyes express a silent plea to stop the cruelty. Her mouth is wide open, she screams, but no one can hear her anymore

Exhibited for the first time on June 4, 1937, «Guernica», according to Picasso, was worthy to be in the Prado Museum in Madrid. It was exhibited there in 1981-1992, after which it was transferred to the Hagia Sophia Museum, where it is located to this day

«Guernica» has always caused controversy and conflicting opinions. Someone called it the last masterpiece of Picasso, someone, on the contrary, did not consider it artistically valuable, they called it only an anti-fascist proclamation.

During the first exhibition, the picture did not make the proper impression on the audience. In this «suffered» canvas, they saw only a semblance of a political manifesto and the tragedy of one small town, not understanding the idea of ​​​​protest against universal cruelty

The meaning of Picasso's painting goes beyond anti-war pathos. "Guernica" is a kind of message from Picasso, addressed both to himself and to each of us.

The bombing of Guernica seemed to bring Picasso out of a state of hypnosis, fascination with the culture of Art Nouveau and forced him to seriously look into the faces of his contemporaries, into his own face — do not the features of a monster show through there too?

The meaning of this message is quite simple