Professor Leizer
HUM 2250
August 3, 2016
Guernica + 798 Pablo Picassos’ artwork can be found all over the world. A majority of the population no nothing about art, but if Picasso was mentioned many would have heard of him before. One of his most influential works ever was, “Guernica.” The size of this painting was overwhelming and drew audiences in from first glance. Guernica uses shifting perspectives and multiple viewpoints, which are all traits of Picasso’s earlier Cubist style. The mural was painted in a palette of gray, black, and white. This may suggest that this is how he viewed the newspaper reports as in black and white. The black and white contrasts in the mural make for dramatic and extreme movement.
Picasso used “Harlequins,” to overcome the forces of death in Guernica. A Harlequin is an underworld character, dealing with death and magic. In one of the Harlequins, the outline of a face can be seen in the lines and background tones of the …show more content…
Personally I feel the same towards the Harlequins’ as Picasso did. The meanings and principles behind all of the objects seemed true and justifiable. The bull standing over the woman, the wounded horse, and the bird behind the bull all have meaning. I believe all of these objects are the the actions of war. They are the antagonists of the painting acting in a still way. The female floating above and to the right of the horse holding a lantern and the grieving woman are examples of people seeking refuge and peace during the time of war. The two obscured images formed by the horse, the person beneath the horse, and the flower beneath the horse are what I believe, symbols of death. Lastly are the light bulb, lantern, windows, and doors. All of these components are what made the fire ignite in the house, causing all the chaos going on in the picture. My interpretation of the fire in the painting is the overall war that the painting is