Explanative Essay on Guernica

“Guernica” is one of the most well-known paintings in the world. It was painted by Pablo Picasso in 1937. The painting itself measures 11ftx 26.5ft. “Guernica” depicts the bombing of the Spanish town of Guernica during the Spanish civil war. The whole thing is done in a cubist style not surprising since Picasso is known for his cubism. In the painting there are people and animals alike all of them in pain and or suffering. “Guernica” is also filled with symbolism that Picasso incorporated into it, and hidden messages. The painting is also colorless it only uses black, white and, gray.
Picasso used several principle and element of art while painting “Guernica”. Some of the elements include value, line, shape, color and, space. The value in the painting creates the form. The line in the piece divides the images. The images in the painting are made using shape. The color is limited using only black, white and, gray. Space is incorporated because everything in the painting is cramped and in one room. Some of the principals in “Guernica” are emphasis, balance, movement and, contrast. The emphasis is on the damage war causes to not just people but animals as well. The balance in the piece is asymmetrical. There is also implied movement throughout the entire piece as well as, contrast between the light and darks.
At first glance “Guernica” looks like just a standard cubist painting but once you examine it a little further you see the point Picasso was trying to get across. The message Picasso stresses the most in “Guernica” is the damage of war. You can see this through the pain and agony on the face of the people and animals in the piece as well as the destruction all around. Besides this there are also two perceptions of hope. There is lost hope which is symbolized by the evil eye and the light of evil. The other hope is the conventional one this is shown through the light of good, dove in the background and, a lone flower that survived the