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The Motifs In Pablo Picasso's Guernica

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There have been countless interpretations of the motifs within Pablo Picasso’s Guernica since it was first exhibited in July of 1937 at the Paris International Exposition. Initially, the painting was not well received by critics. It was presumably destined to collect dust at the back of Picasso’s studio. However, after the events of the Second World War, the imagery represented within Guernica became painfully familiar. Its macabre elements strongly resonated with people from around the globe, and the appalling atrocities suffered by many communities worldwide became synonymous with both the painting and the town of Geurnica itself. His stylistic choices, the use of geometric shapes and the mural’s strong symbolism have contributed to its moving …show more content…

Today, it stands for human rights and peace, inspired by the tragic bombing of Geurnica on the 26th of April, 1937 . After a civil war broke out between Spanish republicans and right-wing nationalists in Spain in July of 1936, army commander General Franco was appointed head of state by the military junta, backed by other political figureheads Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini . On that fateful day in April of 1937, under the command of General Franco, the German air force bombed and nearly obliterated the city of Guernica . Its historical significance of freedom and democracy for the people of Spain were lost on Nazi forces. The bombing was later admitted to have been a trial to test the effectiveness of new and experimental weaponry . At the time of the bombardment, Pablo Picasso was living in Paris and had been commissioned by the Spanish Republican government for their pavilion at the Paris World Fair. After the news of the attack, Picasso had finally found an inspiration for his mural, Guernica : a protest against the military

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