Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ and ‘Massacre in Korea’ in the Context of Ukraine
“What do you think an artist is? …he is a political being, constantly aware of the heart breaking, passionate, or delightful things that happen in the world, shaping himself completely in their image. Painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war.” — Pablo Picasso
Guernica, Picasso’s first call to humanity to remember the horror of war
In art history, the beginning of Activist art is said to be Picasso’s 1937 painting, Guernica. Picasso, who depicted the town of Guernica in Spain, indiscriminately attacked by the Nazis, showcases a fusion of Cubism realism that evokes the standardized rules seen in Egyptian art, yet remains incredibly dynamic.
Egyptian art places the most important elements facing the front, leaving a deep impression while adhering to a standardized aesthetic. Picasso, on the other hand, emphasizes what he wants to highlight strongly, employing symbolic representation akin to emoji icons, all while maintaining a dynamic quality. This is why his paintings leave a strong impression.
The people in Guernica, which was a painting about war, appear profoundly sad, sorrowful, and disoriented. Through his art, Picasso aimed to convey to people how cruel and merciless violence is, to visualize the suffering of blameless individuals, and to deliver the message that war must come to an end.
Goya’s The Third of May 1808 inspired Picasso
Guernica drew inspiration from Francisco Goya’s painting, “The Third of May 1808,” which predates it by over 150 years. Goya painted this piece to commemorate the Spanish War of Independence, a rebellion against Napoleon’s crowning of his brother as the ruler of Spain in 1808. He portrayed innocent civilians on the left and soldiers aiming their rifles on the right, contrasting them through the use of light and darkness.
The painting depicts lifeless bodies lying on the ground, a person covering their face in fear of the soldiers, another raising their hands in surrender, someone blocking their ears, and others bowing their heads unable to witness the scene. The chaos of a peaceful village subjected to indiscriminate assault is too real. Though stylistically different, Goya’s “The Third of May 1808” shares the same composition and message as Picasso’s Guernica.
Massacre in Korea, in defense of human rights
With the same composition, Picasso painted “Massacre in Korea” in January 1951, six months after the outbreak of the Korean War. Based on the brutal Sinchon Massacre that took place in the resource-rich and beautiful region of Hwanghae Province in Korea, he depicted the inhumane acts that occurred.
On the right side of the 2-meter-wide painting, fully armored soldiers wearing medieval-style helmets barely restrains a bayonet. To the left, women and children stand naked. There is a weeping woman soothing a crying baby, a woman with closed eyes seemingly resigned to everything, a pregnant woman shielding a terrified child behind her, and a girl with a determined gaze facing forward. Near the bottom, one child innocently plays, seemingly unaware of the situation. The Sinchon Massacre, which remains a unresolved and unanswered event between the U.S. forces and the Communist faction, resulted in the tragic loss of 35,000 innocent lives. The specifics of the incident are not as significant as the overall message. Picasso aimed to convey the imperative message that war must come to an end.
To mark one-year war anniversary, Raynaud donated his take on Picasso’s Guernica to Ukraine
Just as Picasso drew inspiration from Goya, his war-related artworks have influenced works related to the recent Ukraine-Russia conflict. French artist Jean Pierre Raynaud, at the age of 83 this year, has created an installation piece. Raynaud utilized road signs for his artwork, explaining that he did so to serve as warning signs, reminding people about the persistence of the war and the importance of not forgetting or becoming indifferent to its ongoing consequences.
From Goya in the 19th century, to Picasso in the 20th century, and now Raynaud in the 21st century, artists have been continuously delivering a message of hope for the disappearance of violence that repeats throughout human history.
“We have a saying in China: water, if it drips long enough, can penetrate a stone. We must look at things with this perspective. It always comes down to some kind of struggle. It can take ages, but the human spirit — our will to be free, to have a chance, to communicate face to face, to shake hands and to share space — is much stronger than anything.” — Ai Weiwei
