GUERNICA
The Spanish Civil War began in 17 July, 1936. It was fought between the Spanish Republican government and the Fascist forces under the control of General Franco. It's specifically began on July 17, 1936 with the uprising of the nationalist forces under the command of General Franco against the Republican Popular Front coalition.
On April 26 1937, German and Italian warplanes bombed the Basque town of Guernica killing 1,664 people and injuring almost 900. Homes were left in flames and the market square was completely destroyed. The most painful side of this attack was that men who normally live in Guernica were out of town to fight against the Nationalists. So all of 1654 people who died were women, children and the elderly. According to this, the bombing was not really a war strategy, it was just show of power. Picasso, who is in favor of the Republican people, read and influenced the catastrophe that happened to the town. Also in the same year after the bombing of Guernica, the Spanish Republican government commissioned Pablo Picasso to design a large mural for the Spanish display at the international exposition in Paris. As a result of this Guernica was created. Guernica reflects how tragic was the effect of war on innocent people and how the war led to the great sorrow. This work has gained a monumental status throughout the world and has become an anti-war symbol and symbol of peace.
According to Scarborough’s Pablo Picasso, Picasso conjured up all his feelings to paint Guernica and to give it a historical feeling, he only used shades of black and white as in a photograph. He used imagery from the bullring to represent the unfolding story – the bull represents evil and the horse, standing among the broken bodies, the bravery of the people of Guernica.
In the picture, Picasso drew everything with a screaming expression and they all were located in one room. The angry bull symbolizes traditional culture of Spain and it can be refers to the concept of nationalism. Under the angry bull, there is a symbol of crying mother with a dead baby in her lap and it is likened to the loss of Jesus, the son of Mary. It indicates the official religion of Spain and it can reflected the most important icons of Christianity: Pieta. There is a wounded horse behind the crying mother and it is another reminder of the suffering of people. At the bottom of the floor there is a soldier lying on the floor and he looks like brutally dismembered. He represents the military losses of the war. The parts reflected to us in the form of newspaper pieces draw attention to the fact that Guernica's suffering will be felt by the whole world. Just like these symbols, there are more parts in the picture that can be interpreted differently every person’s point of view. The painter especially aimed for that direction while creating his art. Guernica is full of hidden images and themes. Although it is a complex painting, every shape has a distinct meaning. Picasso explained himself the following words:
“In the picture I am painting, I am expressing my horror of the military caste which is now plundering Spain into an ocean of misery and death. If you give a meaning to certain things in my paintings, it may be very true, but it is not my idea to give this meaning. What ideas and conclusions you have got I obtained too, but instinctively, unconsciously. I make the painting for the painting. I paint the objects for what they are.”
Guernica, where different events are reflected in each square, is seen as a geometric and impressionist figure, while at the same time is the most important representative of Cubism. Cubism invented by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque as a new approach to representing reality in around 1907-1908.
In the 1930's media was usually used for entertainment purposes. Media during this era mainly consisted of radio, propaganda and print media, like newspapers and magazines. The most known theory of period is the hypodermic needle theory. The hypodermic needle theory suggest that media has a direct and powerful influence on audiences and penetrate into human perception and behavior system. It was developed after seeing the obvious effects of propaganda on people. It became the dominant way of thinking during 1920s and 1930s. If we examine the use of media through this theory we may see the how much it effected the Spanish Civil War. Strong propaganda techniques which were used on general public using the hypodermic needle theory led country to divided two sides. In the process of time, public have been kept away from their own thoughts through the media. Which caused depersonalization and within that period one of the most brutal attacks of human history took place.
Picasso showed the inhumanity of fascism and its consequences with Guernica. He has contributed greatly to the anti-fascist movement within conditions of the period and also exposed fascism at an international level. Likewise, Guernica did not only portray fascism and expose it, but also became one of the most impressive political works of history. Guernica is not only a perfect description of the situation in Spain during those years but also a metaphor for the confrontation in the interwar years and on top of everything else a timeless message against war.