What Picasso does Guernica use?

In Guernica, Picasso applies the technique of oil painting on a large canvas. It is a polychrome painting, whose palette includes black, gray, blue and white, so that the painter takes full advantage of the strong contrasts of chiaroscuro that these colors allow.

Analysis

Guernica is considered one of the most important paintings of Pablo Picasso’s career and of the twentieth century, both for its political character and for its style, a mixture of cubist and expressionist elements that make it unique. It is worth asking what it represents, where does its political character come from and what is the meaning that the painter attributes to it.

What does Guernica represent?

Currently, there are two theses in debate about what Pablo Picaso’s Guernica represents: the most widespread one defends that it is inspired by the historical context of the Spanish Civil War. Another, more recent and more scandalous, insists that it is an autobiography.

Historical context

Most sources point out that the painting Guernica represents an episode framed in the historical context of the Spanish Civil War. By then, Guernica -located in Vizcaya, Basque Country-, was under the control of the Second Republic and had three armament factories.

Consequently, on April 26, 1937, the town of Villa Vasca de Guernica was bombed by the Condor Legion of the German air force, supported by the Italian air force. The bombing left a toll of 127 dead, aroused popular reaction and had repercussions on international public opinion.

A possible autobiography

After the analysis of the sketches for the canvas and their dating, some researchers have wondered if Picasso really intended from the beginning a deliberate representation of the bombing of Guernica.

In an article by Macarena García entitled What if ‘Guernica’ told another story, in which she reviews the book Guernica: the unknown masterpiece by José María Juarranz de la Fuente (2019), it is reported that the work would have been started before the bombings were known.

The initial theme would have been, according to Juarranz, a family autobiographical account of the painter, which traces his history with his mother, his lovers and his daughter, who was about to die after childbirth. This hypothesis had already been suggested by Daniel-Henry Kanhweiler, art dealer and biographer of the painter from Malaga.

Iconographic description

In Guernica, Picasso applies the technique of oil painting on a large canvas. It is a polychrome painting, whose palette includes black, gray, blue and white, so that the painter takes full advantage of the strong contrasts of chiaroscuro that these colors allow.

The painting reflects the duality of two scenes in one: the left side looks like the interior of a house and the right side the exterior, united and separated at the same time by thresholds.

The threshold is an important symbol in the artistic imaginary. It allows the transit from the interior to the exterior and vice versa, and communicates different spaces and worlds. Therefore, when crossing any threshold, one passes into a dangerous zone of invisible but real battles: the subconscious.

For the unification of the different aspects of the painting, Picasso uses the technique of synthetic cubism, which consists of drawing a straight line across the painting, thereby unifying the unconnected forms.

The light in the painting is crucial to show the drama and connection between the different characters as they are all illuminated and all together in this suffering.

Characters and figures in Guernica

The composition of Guernica features nine characters: four women, a horse, a bull, a bird, a light bulb and a man.

What did Picasso use to paint Guernica?

In Guernica, Picasso applies the technique of oil painting on a large canvas. It is a polychrome painting, whose palette includes black, gray, blue and white, so that the painter takes full advantage of the strong contrasts of chiaroscuro that these colors allow.

What style of painting is used in Guernica?

Thematic analysis of Guernica

Historical genre, but although it was inspired by a specific event, it is a work of universal character.
The main theme is the horrors of war.
Describe the theme (environment, characters, objects…)

Characters from left to right are generally considered victims. Three animals (a bull, a dove and a wounded horse) and 6 human figures: woman with dead or fainted child, man or mutilated statue with a broken sword and a flower, woman advancing towards the light, woman with a candle, woman in flames with her arms raised.

Propagandistic function to give visibility to the horrors of the civil war commissioned by the Spanish Republic.
A multitude of different interpretations have been proposed about its symbolism (some of them even contradictory) about the symbolic meaning of the elements and characters of this work.

Formal analysis of Guernica

It should be mentioned in the description of the technique or system used:

• Oil on canvas.
• Figurative work, with recognizable elements and figures, although with a high degree of abstraction.
• Non-naturalistic painting. The elements and figures have been simplified and deformed to express a concept instead of imitating reality.

Description of the elements and function of the painting:

Light

Of an anti-naturalistic type.
There are several light sources such as the lamp, the candle, the flames, the window…), but the illumination of the scene is not governed by them.
The function of the lighting in this work is to create focal points and to express drama.
The figures are strongly illuminated.
Spots of flat tones are used, without gradation, producing a two-dimensional effect. No chiaroscuro.

Color

Achromatic image, without color. Painted in black and white (dominant tones of the work) with a range of grays.
The lack of color, as in the newspaper photos on which it was based, freezes the moment and insists on tragedy and pain.

Perspective

No perspective of any kind is used.
Little interest in the representation of a background or three-dimensionality.

Volume

Two-dimensional appearance dominates.
Cubist devices such as the representation of more than one point of view in the same plane.

Movement

The characters have been frozen in the midst of screaming.

Description and function of the organization of the painting

Its formal structure is geometric
It is divided into three triangles: a central one that includes the horse, the mutilated man (or statue) and the woman advancing towards the light. And two other rectangular triangles, one to the right and one to the left of the central triangle.
The scene is organized with clarity and delimited areas to facilitate its reading.

Stylistic analysis of Guernica

Style: Mainly cubist, but there are also surrealist (transference of the quality of the objects) and expressionist (expressive deformation of the images) features.

How did Picasso use Colour in Guernica?

Color. Picasso chose to paint Guernica in a stark monochromatic palette of gray, black and white. This may reflect his initial encounter with the original newspaper reports and photographs in black and white; or perhaps it suggested to Picasso the objective factuality of an eye witness report.

Why did Picasso use Cubism?

Picasso wanted to emphasize the difference between a painting and reality. Cubism involves different ways of seeing, or perceiving, the world around us. Picasso believed in the concept of relativity – he took into account both his observations and his memories when creating a Cubist image.

What is grisaille technique?

grisaille, painting technique by which an image is executed entirely in shades of gray and usually severely modeled to create the illusion of sculpture, especially relief.

What influenced Picasso’s Guernica?

The work he made was Guernica, the now-legendary, mural-sized painting inspired by the bombing of a small Basque town, which now resides at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid.

What elements and principles of art are used in Guernica?

Guernica combines Cubist structures with a monochrome palette which renders the painting more realistic. It is however the Surrealist images that create the shocking representation of suffering and war.

What does Guernica symbolize?

Picasso was commissioned by the Spanish Republic to create a painting in response the incident. Guernica depicts the horrors of war and the immense tragedies inflicted on innocent lives. Painted in black and white with some blue-scale accents, the work is stark, paired back and muted.

What does Guernica symbolism?

One of the most famous 20th century paintings, Guernica was created by Picasso to express his outrage over the Nazi bombing of a Basque city in northern Spain, ordered by General Franco. Since then, this monumental black-and-white canvas has become an international symbol of genocide committed during wartime.

What is Picasso’s Cubism?

Cubism is an artistic movement, created by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, which employs geometric shapes in depictions of human and other forms. Over time, the geometric touches grew so intense that they sometimes overtook the represented forms, creating a more pure level of visual abstraction.

Did Pablo Picasso invent Cubism?

Cubism was one of the most influential visual art styles of the early twentieth century. It was created by Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) and Georges Braque (French, 1882–1963) in Paris between 1907 and 1914.

Why did Picasso paint surrealism?

Picasso was influenced by the interest that the Surrealists took in the unconscious as the mind’s “dark side:” filled with deep fears, inexpressible longings, and the most basic drives.

What artists used grisaille?

Key Artists

In Northern Europe, a huge variety of artists including Robert Campin, Hugo van der Goes, Hans Memling, Hieronymus Bosch and Jan van Eyck painted the exterior shutters of winged doors in muted grisaille tones to imitate the voluminous effect of sculpture.

What is brown underpainting called?

The Grisaille Method

The Grisaille underpainting method often uses monochromatic tones in shades of gray, burnt umber, or other neutrals. It can serve as a blueprint or map for your work.

What is chiaroscuro called today?

Chiaroscuro modelling

The more technical use of the term chiaroscuro is the effect of light modelling in painting, drawing, or printmaking, where three-dimensional volume is suggested by the value gradation of colour and the analytical division of light and shadow shapes—often called “shading”.

Why did Picasso use cubism in Guernica?

Nightmarish figures and dismembered bodies fill the painting. Guernica combines Cubist structures with a monochrome palette which renders the painting more realistic. It is however the Surrealist images that create the shocking representation of suffering and war.

What is grisaille technique?

grisaille, painting technique by which an image is executed entirely in shades of gray and usually severely modeled to create the illusion of sculpture, especially relief.

Why did Picasso use Cubism?

Picasso wanted to emphasize the difference between a painting and reality. Cubism involves different ways of seeing, or perceiving, the world around us. Picasso believed in the concept of relativity – he took into account both his observations and his memories when creating a Cubist image.

What elements and principles of arts are used in Guernica?

Triadic outline of the mother in Picasso’s Guernica. By constructing his figures in triads, Picasso strengthened the unity, repetition, and movement in Guernica as a whole. These triads do more than produce movement in the composition. They also create unity, proximity, and alignment.

What principles of design does Picasso use?

But when you examine Pablo Picasso’s The Studio you see that it consists of nothing but elemental lines, shapes and colors. These are part of the seven basic elements of art and design: form, line, shape, color, texture, space, and value.

What are the art principles?

PRINCIPLES OF ART: Balance, emphasis, movement, proportion, rhythm, unity, and variety; the means an artist uses to organize elements within a work of art. by the careful placement of repeated elements in a work of art to cause a visual tempo or beat.

What do you think is the main image of Guernica?

One of the most famous 20th century paintings, Guernica was created by Picasso to express his outrage over the Nazi bombing of a Basque city in northern Spain, ordered by General Franco. Since then, this monumental black-and-white canvas has become an international symbol of genocide committed during wartime.

What are the symbols in Guernica?

Guernica is dominated by symbols of loss and the afterlife, as well as references to different mythologies and historical events. Guernica’s meaning is enigmatic and difficult to nail down, but one recurring element is its anti-fascist tone. In June of 1937, Picasso painted the renowned Guernica picture.

What does the bull symbolize in Guernica?

But many also depict bulls as the victims of suffering. Standing enigmatically in the background, the bull in Guernica was interpreted alternately as the brutish Fascist state and the Spanish people.

What does Picasso’s art represent?

Picasso painted and sculpted without constraint to express himself. He shows us all aspects of life, light and dark, its sorrows, its joys and its pleasures. This is why he inspires.

What does it mean when someone calls you Picasso?

an artist who paints. carver, sculptor, sculpturer, statue maker. an artist who creates sculptures.

Is peek a boo one word?

Definition of peekaboo

: a game for amusing a baby by repeatedly hiding one’s face or body and popping back into view exclaiming “Peekaboo!”

What does Picasa mean in Spanish?

“Picasa” is a blend of the name of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, the phrase mi casa (Spanish for “my house“) and “pic” for pictures.