Pablo Picasso's painting Guernica:
Source of image: http://impact-of-war.blogspot.com/2011/05/guernica-by-pablo-picasso.html
Some artworks such as this one have a deeper meaning than it may appear, and under the absurdity or surrealism one can find an artist's individual statement. Once one comprehends what an artwork is about, every detail attains a certain expressiveness and profoundness although of course it is impossible to retrieve the exact sentiment that the artist felt.
The judgement of the beholder is also influenced by the level of education he/ she has retrieved. If I had seen this painting a year ago, I might have dismissed it as "chaotic" or "unnatural" or "disturbing" or would have said "What in the world is this supposed to be" and "That horse does not look like a horse." However, having encountered the styles of different artists and time periods, and having explored the meaning behind surrealist artworks, those arguments of dislike no longer stand. It was until I tried myself to create such an expressive, emotive piece that I could understand the purpose of this art.
"Like emotions, colours are a reflection of life." - Janice Glennaway
In any case, I would like to point out that if one desires to examine an artwork let alone judge it, it is the responsibility of the beholder to find out as much background information as possible on the time period that the art piece was created, on the artist's life, and on events that might have influenced the piece. Visual art is neither deliberate nor unintentional. It is a form of expression, just like language, but more than language. Indeed, art involves feelings - each of the characters in Picasso's Guernica express an emotion, and together, they bring out the horror, agony, and violence of war. Art is also cultural; I read that the horse and the bull depicted in Guernica are important to Spanish culture.
Guernica is a piece that expresses Pablo Picasso's feelings and his point of view on the impact of war, specifically the impact of the German/ Italian Blitzkrieg bombing of the city Guernica in Spain. The painting is now an anti-war symbol.
"The essential function of art is moral." - D.H.Lawrence, 1885 - 1963
Just because I have done some research on Guernica doesn't mean that I understand the artist; nevertheless, I have gained some insight into the meaning of the artwork. The "chaotic," "unnatural," and "disturbing" elements in the painting have now become meaningful in relation to war and suffering.
The author of Art and Truth must also have done some research in order to state: "Picasso's painting Guernica (1937) alerted the world to what was going on in the Spanish Civil War by depicting a village and its people destroyed by bombs."
Source of image: http://impact-of-war.blogspot.com/2011/05/guernica-by-pablo-picasso.html
Some artworks such as this one have a deeper meaning than it may appear, and under the absurdity or surrealism one can find an artist's individual statement. Once one comprehends what an artwork is about, every detail attains a certain expressiveness and profoundness although of course it is impossible to retrieve the exact sentiment that the artist felt.
The judgement of the beholder is also influenced by the level of education he/ she has retrieved. If I had seen this painting a year ago, I might have dismissed it as "chaotic" or "unnatural" or "disturbing" or would have said "What in the world is this supposed to be" and "That horse does not look like a horse." However, having encountered the styles of different artists and time periods, and having explored the meaning behind surrealist artworks, those arguments of dislike no longer stand. It was until I tried myself to create such an expressive, emotive piece that I could understand the purpose of this art.
"Like emotions, colours are a reflection of life." - Janice Glennaway
In any case, I would like to point out that if one desires to examine an artwork let alone judge it, it is the responsibility of the beholder to find out as much background information as possible on the time period that the art piece was created, on the artist's life, and on events that might have influenced the piece. Visual art is neither deliberate nor unintentional. It is a form of expression, just like language, but more than language. Indeed, art involves feelings - each of the characters in Picasso's Guernica express an emotion, and together, they bring out the horror, agony, and violence of war. Art is also cultural; I read that the horse and the bull depicted in Guernica are important to Spanish culture.
Guernica is a piece that expresses Pablo Picasso's feelings and his point of view on the impact of war, specifically the impact of the German/ Italian Blitzkrieg bombing of the city Guernica in Spain. The painting is now an anti-war symbol.
"The essential function of art is moral." - D.H.Lawrence, 1885 - 1963
Just because I have done some research on Guernica doesn't mean that I understand the artist; nevertheless, I have gained some insight into the meaning of the artwork. The "chaotic," "unnatural," and "disturbing" elements in the painting have now become meaningful in relation to war and suffering.
The author of Art and Truth must also have done some research in order to state: "Picasso's painting Guernica (1937) alerted the world to what was going on in the Spanish Civil War by depicting a village and its people destroyed by bombs."
What is so beautiful about surrealism is that, since it is barely ever a realistic portrayal of something/someone, there is always something new to look at-- you notice new details and you extract new meaning from the artwork each time you look at it. I also agree with your statement that "once one comprehends what an artwork is about, every detail attains a certain expressiveness and profoundness". It is like reading a book: once you scratch through the surface and discover what the author was trying to express in his/her literary piece, you have much more appreciation for the little details that you read in between the lines.
ReplyDelete"Guernica" is one of my favorite pieces by Picasso. There is so much pain, so much grief, so much expression in the piece. Each time I look at it, I concentrate on one particular character in the painting-- the bull, the horse, the woman mourning her child-- and my imagination tries to reconstruct their lives before they were overtaken by grief. The beauty of it all is that my perception of the piece and my imagination is completely unique and untranslatable. Picasso, although having succeeded in translating the pain felt by the inhabitants of Guernica in WWII to the audience, will never be able to completely translate his inner thoughts and feelings of the war. But ironically enough, art is possibly the closest means of translating those thoughts and feelings to the outer world.
I really enjoyed this joint appreciation of Guernica... especially Alia, your imaginative exploration of the real events behind the separate components of the painting. I also agree with you, Raphaela, that sometimes you need to be 'trained' to appreciate art. You have to develop an 'ear' for classical music if you have not grown up with it, you have to take literature classes to really 'know' a text etc. Once you have the skill, the refined sensibility, you are 'receiving' on a different wave length than before you were shown how.. Also, knowing something about Picasso's journey as an artist, knowing something about the Spanish civil war can only deepen and enhance what you perceive.
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