David and Art - Guernica

The Spanish Civil War from 1936-1939 is an episode in history not very well known to most Americans. If we know anything about it, we might know that writer George Orwell—he of 1984 and Animal Farm—took part in it, fighting on the side of the Republicans and communists against the fascists. And some Americans might know, just maybe, about a painting that one of the atrocities of the war inspired. It’s one of the most famous paintings of the 20th century in fact, by arguably the century’s most famous artist.

In April 1937, the Spanish city of Guernica, in the Basque country near the northern coast, was bombed by the fascist air forces backed by Nazi Germany. The bombing obliterated the town and was seen as a test of the efficacy of area bombing and its ability to destroy civilian population. From 4:40 in the afternoon until 7:45 at night, one observer wrote, five minutes did not go by without the sky being black with German planes. “Screams of lamentation were heard everywhere, and the people, filled with terror, knelt, lifting their hands to heaven as if to implore divine protection....”When the news and details of the atrocity reached Paris, a Spanish artist living there picked up his brush in protest and tried to capture the horror of war itself as he read this account.

Back at the beginning of 1937 the Spanish Republic had commissioned Pablo Picasso to paint a large artwork for its pavilion at the upcoming Paris International Expo, scheduled to open in May. Fitting his fame, he would have the long wall near the entrance for his space, and his subject could be anything he wanted to paint. Until he heard of the horror at Guernica, he was uncertain about what he would choose for his subject and was generally uninspired by the project. On May 1, he read eyewitness accounts to the destruction and loss of life there and it both outraged him and galvanized his spirit. That would be his topic.It's inhumanity his message.

His model and muse Dora Maar, whom we’ve talked about before, documented Picasso’s work on the project. She also pushed him to use just black, white, and grey—no other colors. It took him five weeks to finish the painting and turned it over to the exhibition in the middle of June. It’s 11.5 feet high and over 25 feet long.

Why this painting is in the news today will have to wait until the next time we talk.

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