Guernica by Pablo Picasso (1937)

Guernica by Pablo Picasso (1937) Nothing captures the desolate state of desperation, anguish, pain, and suffering witnessed across different countries and regions across the world that are plagued with endless wars as Pablo Picasso’s painting, Guernica. Nations such as Libya, Syria, parts of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Yemen are characteristic of the destructive results of both civil strife and wars among the opposing factions. The fact that the world has had its fair share of wars and witnessed the destructive nature of the events would make someone assume that interventional measures against such escalations would function to protect innocent civilians from such harm. Nevertheless, greed for power under the guise of ideological differences across the social, political, economic, and cultural aspect of society continue to fuel animosity among citizens of a given nation leading to the wars witnessed in the current world. Pablo Picasso forewarned the world with his prophetic work on the adverse repercussions of war through his articulate depictions of its aftermath in Guernica. The famous painting captures the effects of war on society as it highlights different elements that are representative of the unprecedented destruction across the social, economic, and political structures of society. The painting seeks to appeal to the conscience of individuals and leaders alike against making careless provocations leading to wars. The anguish and pain portrayed by the painting call out the global citizens to embrace tolerance, patience, perseverance, and amicable resolution of differences in the place of quickness to anger, negative emotions and reactions, intolerance, and incitement leading to conflicts or war. However, one would have to dig deeper and consult with their consciousness when analyzing the content of the paintings lest they miss Picasso’s message in Guernica, an unlikely result from viewing the iconic work by the Spaniard. As a human being, I often find myself connecting or rather showing indifference to the plight of those who are suffering or experiencing dire situations in their lives. Picasso’s connection with the suffrage experienced by the people of Guernica following the town’s bombing by the Germans is an excellent depiction of the artist’s ability to evoke an...