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Symbolism In Guernica

Decent Essays

Guernica, the title of the painting, is a town in Basque Country, Spain. It was the target of terror bombing during the Spanish civil war because it was the northern bastion of the Republican resistance movement.

First, war is depicted as devastating and it cares no one – men, women, grandparents, children neither animals. Everyone is a victim. By looking at the paintings, the people are in pain. With their mouth open that might mean streaming out their agony; with their fingers wide spread, they might asking for hands to hold them up. In a war, there are dead people (the baby held by his mom and the lying man); some protects their loved ones (the mother) even still suffering; people escapes even if they are injured or had detached foot …show more content…

They also added that the light bulb became more intriguing because when translated, bulb is “bombilia” in Spanish which sounds like bomb or “bomba” despite its common symbol of hope and …show more content…

The light bulb is the symbol of anti-war and that Picasso wants the people to open their eyes and to see what war could bring in our society. Everyone has their limitless potentials that can bring a brighter future. This makes the painting connected to the present time and the future. Fourth, as interpreted by Ray (2006), the shape and posture of the bodies express protest while the flaming buildings and crumbled walls reflect destructive power of civil war. The newspaper background is the means by how the painted knew the massacre. Both Berger (1980) and Chipp (1988) cited by Ray (2006), believe that the broken sword in the painting mean defeats of the people. Overall, this is a less optimistic painting that does not reference to the actual bombing of Guernica (Brunner, 2001). Rather it presents a visceral depiction of terror, chaos, and grief. Sandberg (1960) quoted that Guernica is a “pathetic symbol of the recent past and a warning for the

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