This is my favorite piece of art. When I took Art History as a young girl and we where learning about Picasso's style this particular painting caused a burning last effect. He did it in black and white to show the bleekness of war but he infused pictures within the picture. How many of you have seen this paining and noticed different symbols but never really know what they respresent. Below is a dissection and explains what each symbolizes. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did. You will never look at this painting the same again.
'Guernica' was painted by the Cubist Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso in 1937. The title 'Guernica' refers to the city that was bombed by Nazi planes during the Spanish Civil War. The painting depicts the horrors of war and as a result, has come to be an anti-war symbol and a reminder of the tragedies of war.
The Painting
'Guernica' is a very large painting, measuring 3.5 metres in height and 7.8 metres in width. The painting is painted in oil and in monochrome colours of black, grey and white. The picture is full of symbols yet its overall theme is one of suffering. Suffering of innocent people and animals alike. From left to right the symbols are as follows:
Bull - The bull is depicted with a dark body and white head. The bull appears to be stunned or shocked at the horror surrounding him. When asked about the significance and meaning behind the animal, Pablo Picasso said it was to signify brutality and darkness.
Mother with a dead child - Underneath the image of the bull sits a woman clutching a dead child, her head facing the sky in an anguished cry, her eyes in the shape of tears. This image is meant to resemble the classic Catholic image of the Virgin and Child, albeit tainted by war.
Spanish Art - Guernica
Pidgeon - The pigeon can be found between the bull and the horse. It is not a very clear symbol as it appears to be just a flash of white. In general, this symbol has been considered as a representation of broken peace.
Dead soldier - The soldier is made up body parts and is not a complete body. We can see his head, one of his arms and the left forearm. In one of his hands, the soldier is holding a broken sword and a flower. The flower could therefore be interpreted as a ray of hope amongst all of the destruction.
Light bulb - The light bulb is a particularly intriguing symbol. It has been said that it represents technological advancement, as in the technological advancement being tested during the Guernica bombings. If you were to learn Spanish in Spain, you would find that the word for bulb 'bombilla' is also very similar to the word for bomb, 'bomba'.
Horse - Situated in the centre of the painting, it looks as though the horse is about to fall down. We can only see the head of the horse, with its mouth open. The rest of its body is overlapped by other images, which in turn form other images such as a human skull.
Kneeling woman - This woman has also been described as the 'Injured woman' as her leg is clearly visible and appears to be dislocated or broken. She is bleeding from the knee although she is trying to stop the flow with her hand.
Woman in the oil lamp - This woman's face appears from the oil lamp, illuminating the picture. Her face appears to be in a state of shock and bewilderment. She has been considered to be a ghostly representation of the Spanish Republic.
Imploring man - The man to the far right of the painting seems to be pleading at the sky, perhaps at the German planes above to stop the bombing. It has come to be a powerful artistic representation of the anti-war feelings in the painting.
souce: http://www.spanish-art.org/spanish-painting-guernica.html