A war that affected a variety of artists
Animal Farm author George Orwell fought in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930's, supporting the Republicans against the fascist ruler Francisco Franco. In fact, Orwell was shot in the throat during the fighting. Orwell believed that Joseph Stalin and the Russian Communists, while supposedly supporting the Republicans, in reality tried to stop the revolution from succeeding. Orwell's negative feeling about Stalin played a part in how Orwell chose to depict Stalin a few years later in Animal Farm: as the double-crossing pig Napoleon.
Other artists witnessed the fighting in the Spanish Civil War and addressed it in other ways. Pablo Picasso, one of the most famous artists of the 20th century, painted the famous work you see above, called Guernica, in response to a battle of that war. Click on the painting for a larger view, then come back and comment:
Guernica is not a realistic picture, but has a very unusual style. What is Picasso trying to say about war with this picture? What do you see in the picture that helps Picasso communicate his opinion? Does the unusual style help him communicate his message or would you find the picture more effective if it were more realistic?
Other artists witnessed the fighting in the Spanish Civil War and addressed it in other ways. Pablo Picasso, one of the most famous artists of the 20th century, painted the famous work you see above, called Guernica, in response to a battle of that war. Click on the painting for a larger view, then come back and comment:
Guernica is not a realistic picture, but has a very unusual style. What is Picasso trying to say about war with this picture? What do you see in the picture that helps Picasso communicate his opinion? Does the unusual style help him communicate his message or would you find the picture more effective if it were more realistic?
This picture that Picasso painted depicts violence and animals and dead people. I think that if Picasso made the painting clearer, we would understand the message of the painting better.
ReplyDeleteThis painting is very violent and full of people dying or in pain.
ReplyDeletethis painting describes what war looks like. it depicts the actions of people and how people die and are in pain. the picture would be better if Picasso made it more understandable.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, Noam L., you understand enough to see and feel the pain of the people in the painting. Picasso communicates that pain well, don't you think? This communication happens even if the viewer doesn't know what all the scenes in the painting are trying to depict.
ReplyDeletePicasso's painting depicts war and violence. I personally disagree with Jonny. I think that this is the perfect style for this painting because it's very busy, cluttered, and there's a lot of thing going on at once. That's how war is! Picasso can tell us more through the painting because there are so many things going on at once.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Picasso is showing how war is confusing. He shows this by stretching things in the picture. He is also showing how horrible war is by clearly showing pain, grief, etc.
ReplyDeleteI think this picture is showing the feelings of all the animals in the scene. Wars arent ussualy so organized, they are spontanious and that is what Picasso is depicting in this messy and random picture
ReplyDeleteLiorah, "messy" would appear to be a compliment to Picasso in this case, right? War is definitely messy!
ReplyDeleteI think that the picture that Picasso painted is trying to tell us how brutal the animals on Animal Farm's revolution was. Also he is trying to say how hard their work was that made them look half dead. His picture expresses the hardship of the animals and the overall result. They knew they were free, but was it worth it to be starving and to be under the power of Napoleon? When Napoleon was ruler, the animals were treated worse then they were treated when Farmer Jones was in charge of them but now they're not even als equal as Napoleon had promised. Instead they're in pain and starving and that is what Picasso is expressing. Looking at Picasso's usual paintings this story gives him a reason to make such a picture. Usually his art is strange and wacky but this story makes his painting real. Because that is what the animals must have looked like.
ReplyDelete