Art Essay #3 Guernica

I was inspired do my analysis on Picasso's Guernica by "Six Names of Beauty". I am slightly ashamed to admit that I could not place the painting offhand when Mr. Sartwell mentioned it in the text, so I looked for it on the Internet. I will not lie and say that I was immediately overwhelmed by the beauty of the piece. To be honest, I was more confused than anything else. It took me a bit to understand that confusion was at least part of the point. Guernica is a complex work, and it has been interpreted by numerous critics in different ways.

Some of my confusion was relieved by reading the historical background of the piece. Guernica is a town in Spain that was destroyed by an aerial bombardment in 1937. Some critics believe that the eye/light bulb represents the sun and the concept of a bomb. Also, the newsprint images in the painting represent how Picasso learned of the town's destruction. The inhabitants of the town were largely women and children and this is reflected in the work. While the concepts depicted are universal, understanding something of the historical context of the piece makes its meaning slightly clearer.

The painting's chief focus seems to be the pain and confusion associated with the destruction of war. The human figures are portrayed in different positions but the imagery of suffering is consistent. Some figures, such as the disembodied head emerging from a window, express horror, while others seem to be almost audibly screaming. The man near the bottom portion of the painting died violently, and below the bull a woman can be seen clutching her dead child. The imagery is violent and confused and echoes the themes of the painting. This suggests Picasso's power, the ability to shape recognizable images into conveyances of his theme.

Obviously, this is not a particularly uplifting or anatomically correct piece, which prompts the question of why it is considered a great work of art. Sartwell states that it taps into a longing to be overwhelmed, something which this painting can clearly provide. The myriad of imagery is immediately overwhelming and prompts the viewer to try to understand the visual cacophony. The confused nature of painting forces the viewer to look at the image more carefully than they might if it were simple and straightforward. Why, for example, does the horse have what appears to be the point of a knife for a tongue? These symbols continue to produce interpretations from critics and casual observers alike.

As a whole, this work possesses power. It holds the power to submerge an observer in a tumult of visuals. Picasso shapes the natural world to convey his message through strangely twisted bodies and symbols. This creates an aesthetic experience that grasps and consumes the viewer, rather than pleases.

--Laurel