“Guernica”, the greatest historical painting of the 20th century, a political manifesto against the horrors of war

It's 1937 in Spain. For a year now the road has been impervious Spanish Civil War where the figure of is increasingly consolidating Francisco Franco. The people, fight strenuously to defend the Republic of Spain from the one who, only a few years later, would succeed in establishing the Francoist Dictatorship.

The Spanish Republican Government contacts the artist Pablo Picasso, commissioning a large-scale work which was to represent Spain at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in June of the same year.

Picasso accepts the request, remaining for a long time, however, without inspiration.

It is April 26, 1937. Francisco Franco, with the help of the German fascist soldiers of the Condor Legion and the Italian Legionary Air Force, orders the first bombing in history targeting civilians. The target of the air raid is Guernica, a small Basque town in Spain, of strategic and symbolic importance, a bastion of belonging and adherence to the values ​​of the Republic.

The next day, the news is all over the papers. Picasso, horrified and shocked, decides to use his art to denounce the massacre of the innocents. He throws himself into hard and passionate work, completing the impressive work in just 5 weeks., managing to present it in time for the Expo.

The work, currently exhibited at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, is “read” from right to left.

The first figure represents a woman burned alive by flames, with tear-shaped eyes and arms stretched to the sky. Continuing, we notice another female figure trying to escape from the fire, illuminated by an oil lamp held by a figure shocked by what the scene presents: the horrors that the bombing on the innocent people has created. The horse with his chest torn, represents the devastated population from an attack where he had no possibility whatsoever to defend himself or escape, since it was a cowardly attack from above on a defenseless population.

On the ground, a man torn to pieces with what remains of a broken sword in his hand and a flower, the only symbol to convey a faint hope of rebirth and hope. On the far left, a woman with her face completely overwhelmed by the pain of losing her son, lying in his arms, screams to the sky. In protection of women, a bull, symbol of Spain. Considered a symbol of strength, in this representation he has a vacant look and, with his moo, gives continuity to his mother's cry. At the center of the scene, at the top, a lamp or even the “Eye of God”, the only witness to the tragedy that took place. Next to, a dove, also torn by pain, symbol of a peace now compromised.

The colors used are white, black and some shades of gray, printing drama to the massacre, thus removing anything that could potentially distract attention.

Guernica sparked a fair amount of criticism. During the exhibition of the work, there was a particularly incisive moment. Paris was under German occupation and a Nazi officer was horrified by the canvas.

“Did she do it?” he asked Picasso. “No,” replied the artist, “You did it.”

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