Picasso’s painting of Guernica is one of the most famous anti-war pieces of art ever to be displayed. Picasso painted the oil painting in June 1937, in response to the bombing of his hometown, Guernica, by the Nazi warplanes. The consequences of the attack were severe, as the majority of the city’s buildings were destroyed and the city’s center was almost wiped out. Also, the Spanish artist decided to discreetly include a symbol of these warplanes by creating the screaming man on the right side of the painting to have a hand shaped as an airplane. By including minor details such as this, the artist was trying to expose the viewer to not only the damage of war in the past but also the suffering it can cause in the future. The painting expresses the traumatic and deadly aspects of war through symbolism, in order to convince people that war can only lead to destruction. 

The ghosts incorporated into the painting highlight the role that death plays in war. Towards the center of the painting there are a few ghosts, drawn in a lighter shade of grey; that represent the unavoidable casualties that occur in war. One can assume that Picasso chose to include these haunting figures into his artwork to pull creepier and unsettling emotion out of the viewer. Similarly, the artist chose to use only black, grey and white as the primary colors in his piece to create a depressing statement. By using grim colors and using an abstract style to cause the figures in the painting to look disfigured; Picasso was able to emphasize the dark aspects that come with war. Also, centered diagonally above the ghosts is a lit lamp that resembles an eye, shining light over the deceased. The eye can be interpreted as a symbol of evil shining over the ghosts in order to move them into the afterlife. This assumption is supported by the fact that the eye has sharp “eyelashes” around it, which creates a rough and dark emotion.  By tying an evil afterlife into the piece, Picasso was able to express the idea that not only is war hell but it never truly ends when you die. Thus, per swaying others to join in the protest against war in order to avoid a harsh death and bleak afterlife.

Picasso incorporated wounded animals, that would be locally found in Guernica, into the painting to represent the bombing that took place there. On the left side of the painting there is a bull standing over a horrified woman holding her dead child. Around the time when Picasso created his artwork, livestock such as a bull were known to be very common in Guernica. Thus, the representation of the bull standing over the woman and deceased child symbolizes the horror that took place in Guernica.  A horror that is supported by the fact that during the bombing it was estimated that over 1,600 people were killed and 800 more injured. Another symbolism found in the painting includes the woman crying up to the sky over the loss of what can be perceived as her baby. This scene can be interpreted as a representation of all the people who lost loved ones from the attack.  Also, the horse located center of the painting is another example of livestock that was commonly found in Guernica during this time. Besides livestock, horses were used as a tool during war because they could be ridden into battle. Due to this fact, horses are seen as strong and brave creatures because they had the duty of carrying the noble soldiers off to battle. However, the frightened look expressed on the horse’s face as he looks back gives the viewer the feeling that something is gravely wrong. By taking a symbol that is regularly seen as strong and knocking it down to a lower status Picasso is able to force the viewer to see war through a different perspective. 

The fallen soldier located in the center of the oil painting draws the reader in because it bluntly demonstrates how no one can truly win a war. Similarly, to the symbol of the horse, a soldier would be seen as brave and unbreakable by some. Thus, by having a large, defeated soldier lying on his back as a target of focus; the artist was able to show that everyone is human and anyone can die. Also, this particular scene could be directed towards the men signing up to join the war; in order to enlighten them to the sacrifice they were choosing to make.  This idea is supported by the fact that Picasso chose to have the soldier in a vulnerable position with his mouth open and a wilted flower in his hand. The open mouth symbolizes the last breath that the soldier had taken and the flower represents the cycle of life, which obviously ends in death. 

Picasso used intricate symbolism in his painting to represent the consequences of war as a way to protest against future destruction. The use of disfigured figures that seem almost a bit strange and displeasing to the eye creates a dramatic mood within the painting to draw the viewer in. This relates to the fact that since the painting does not include any vibrant colors, the variance in shades of black and white add contrast to the figures. Thus, also contributing to the overall theme that death and pain is unavoidable in war. In general, the large painting captures this unstated argument incredibly well; allowing it to scream anti-war without including a single word within the artwork. The fact that the painting was used to raise funds for Spanish War relief after being displayed at the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris; supports this interpretation of the painting’s effectiveness of spreading anti-war.
