How deep and powerful can good use of symbols in a text be? In Guernica Pablo Picasso uses three bizarre and strange symbols, the bull, horse, and light bulb to burn the events of the Spanish Revolution into people’s minds in order to make sure something like this wouldn’t happen again. Pablo Picasso named this piece after a city that experienced heavy bombing by the Nazi’s Luftwaffe under the order of the Spanish government. At this time, Pablo Picasso was living in Paris and saw what was happening in his home (Spain) in the papers. Picasso used the talents that he was born with to show people, in vivid detail, the pain that his people were experiencing. 

The entity that most people notice first in this painting is the bull on the left side of the frame. The bull has a grotesque and odd look to its face, it not only looks unpleasant, it has a face of confusion and bewilderment in the face of what it sees in front of it (Picasso). Many people believe that the misshapen face of the bull is a reference to the leader of the gruesome revolution of Spain at the time, General Francisco Franco Bahamonde. The other interpretation of the bull is that it represents the soldiers in Spain and their reaction to what they were doing in their home. One could see this because the bull, if one looks closely, is standing in a way that he has to turn around so that we can see his face. This is because the soldiers didn’t realize the pain they were causing until they were able to turn around and see it as another Spanish citizen. Both interpretations are well thought out and connect well with the image, but the first one is more realistic and easier to understand for more people because it requires less searching and is the more straightforward symbol.

The second item in Guernica that has a great deal of meaning behind it is the bright light bulb located in the middle of the painting, it symbolizes the fact that the whole world could see what was happening to the country of Spain (Picasso). One must understand that in the 1930s-new military technology was being used that was able to kill many people quickly. While this was true, technology for the use of communication was also growing at a fast rate. One interpretation of the light bulb is that because of then-modern communication, a light was being spread on what was happening. The murders and atrocities performed on the Spanish people could not be swept under the rug anymore. Another understanding of the light bulb is the undying hope of humanity in general. As much as the people of Spain were hurt during the revolution, the citizens kept hope and survived. This idea is universal and can be applied to many significant events in human history. 

Another one of the commanding images in Guernica is the horse located right below the light bulb. This horse has an extremely large gash on its torso and a stick lodged right beside it. The emotion that the horse is expressing is one of great pain and agony. It looks as if the horse is crying out because of the sting it is feeling in its side (Picasso). It is important to note two things around the horse in the frame. The light bulb plays a large role in presenting the horse’s (Spain’s) pain and its startled expression. This is because the world was able to see the anguish that the Spanish the world was able to see. Another thing to note is the wounded soldier lying below the horse’s feet. It is hard to decipher whether the man below the horse is a citizen fighting for his life or one of the revolutionaries. What can be seen is that the man seems to have been knocked down be something and the horse is standing over him. The horse trampled him and broke his sword; This is a fantastic representation of the damage that was caused by everyone in Spain during the revolution. This is a symbol for the idea that Spain, as a country, was attacking itself in desperation. It is easy to see this when one looks at the emotion that the horse’s face is displaying. The horse(Spain) was confused and hurt and while it did not mean to hurt the soldier, it broke his sword and trampled him in the confusion. This symbol shows the confusion and disarray that Spain experienced during the Spanish Revolution. Picasso used this strange and bizarre image to translate real fear and confusion that was happening in the country that he loved and care for.

In summary, Pablo Picasso utilized bizarre and abstract images of real life things as references to what he was seeing. Pablo Picasso used these images in order to elucidate the horror and confusion experienced by the Spanish people during the revolution. Although at first glance, Guernica may seem to be just another piece of abstract art that is made simply to look shocking and unusual, every part of the painting has a meaning of its own. If one spends the time to sit down and analyze every part of this painting, relations to real life events or peoples can be found. Picasso forced these events to not be forgotten or loose importance due to the other events brewing in Europe at that time (1937). He used his abilities to keep this event in people’s minds. Many people today, are not even aware of the Spanish Revolution of 1937. Events such as these are usually overshadowed by Nazi tensions and other happenings like that. For this purpose, this painting was created, to remind people over eighty years in the future of the pain that Picasso’s people felt. Picasso painted (literally) the idea that despite all of this pain that the Spanish people were experiencing they would still be able to stand afterward and accept the hardships that they endured during the revolution. In conclusion, Picasso wanted to show the world the adversities that his people were facing, but also show the idea that all of thesthingscould not be swept under the rug.             

   