The Arts: Picasso’s Guernica
Background information
NB This information can either be shown to students at the start of the activity in order to
introduce the historical background to Picasso’s famous painting, or it can be shown to
students after they’ve been asked to consider what the painting might be about so that they
can then compare and contrast their first impressions with Picasso’s intended subject and
effect.
Guernica is a town in the Basque region of Spain that was the meeting place of the Biscayne
assembly and a symbol of traditional freedoms of the Basque people. The town is best
known as the scene of an early instance of aerial bombing by German warplanes on April 26
1937, during the Spanish Civil War. The Germans were attacking to support the efforts of
the Spanish General Francisco Franco to overturn the democratically-elected Spanish
Republican government. It was in fact Franco himself who had given permission to his
German allies to bomb Guernica, probably due to the fact that the Basque region has a
distinctive language and culture and a separate identity which went against Franco’s ideal of
a Spain dominated by one language, Castilian Spanish, and one political outlook, Fascism.
Guernica is also the name of a famous painting by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, depicting
the bombing of the town of Guernica. Pablo Picasso was asked by the Spanish Republican
government to paint a picture to decorate the Spanish Pavilion during the 1937 World's fair
in Paris. In response he created a painting representing the recent tragedy of the destruction
of Guernica. Picasso's Guernica depicts people, animals, and buildings exposed to the
violence and chaos of the unexpected attack. This large canvas in shades of black, white and
grey embodies for many the inhumanity, brutality and hopelessness of war and the cruelty
of bombing civilians.
After the fair, when the Spanish Republican government had been defeated by Franco’s
forces, Picasso refused to allow this painting, one of his most famous, to be displayed in
Spain until after the end of the Franco regime. Guernica therefore spent many years at the
Museum of Modern Art in New York City, but was repatriated after Franco's death. It is now
exhibited in the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid. The exact location was controversial in
Spain, since Picasso's will stated that it should be at the Prado Museum. However, as in the
late 20th century the Prado moved all of its collections of art after the early 19th century to
other nearby buildings in the city for reasons of space, the Reina Sofía, which houses the
capital's national collection of 20th century art, seems the appropriate place for it. A special
gallery was constructed there to display Picasso's masterpiece to best advantage.
1
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Exercise 1: What can you see in Picasso’s Guernica?
Take 5 minutes to look at the painting closely and note down the images you can see. What
do you notice about the style of the work? Is it traditional, abstract, colourful? What kinds of
feelings do you think Picasso intended someone looking at his painting to experience and
why?
Once you’ve noted down your observations discuss them with your classmates and teacher
comparing your ideas and reactions.
Exercise 2: Reading, understanding, translating
El simbolismo de Guernica /The symbolism of Guernica
Read the following sentences in English describing different images depicted in Picasso’s
Guernica. Once you’ve read through them carefully, match them to the corresponding
sentences in Spanish below.
Descriptions of Picasso’s Guernica:
A.= 2. The centre is occupied by a horse falling in agony as it has just been run through by a
spear or javelin. The large wound in the horse's side is a major focus of the painting.
B.= 4. Under the horse is a dead soldier; his hand on a severed arm still grasps a shattered
sword from which a flower grows.
C.= 5. On the open palm of the dead soldier is a reference to the symbol of martyrdom
represented by Christ’s stigmata (the holes made in Christ’s hands when he was nailed to
the cross).
D.= 12. A dark wall with an open door occupies the right-hand side of the painting.
2
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E.= 3. The bull's tail forms the image of a flame. Smoke rises from it and there appears to be
a window created by the lighter shade of grey surrounding it.
F.= 10. A bird, possibly a dove, stands on a shelf behind the bull.
G.= 7. In the upper part of the painting, to the right of the horse, a frightened female figure
appears to have floated through a window. Her arm, also floating, carries a flame-lit lamp.
The lamp is very close to the bulb, and is a symbol of hope, in contrast to the lightbulb.
H.= 6. A lightbulb blazes in the shape of an evil eye over the horse's head (the bare bulb of
the torturer's cell). The symbolism of this object relates to the Spanish word bombilla
(meaning “lightbulb”), which literally means “little bomb” and therefore signifies the
destructive effect which technology can have on society.
I.= 11. On the far right-hand side, a figure with arms raised in terror is entrapped by fire from
above and below.
J.= 1. The scene takes place inside a room where, on the left, a wide-eyed bull hovers over a
woman who is crying for the dead child in her arms.
K.= 8. On the right, a woman staggers towards the centre below the floating female figure.
She looks up into the blazing light bulb.
L.= 9. Daggers, which suggest screams, replace the tongues of the bull, the crying woman,
and the horse.
Descriptions of Guernica in Spanish:
1.= J. La escena toma lugar dentro de una habitación donde, a la izquierda, la cabeza de un
toro con los ojos muy abiertos flota por encima de una mujer que está llorando por el niño
muerto en sus brazos.
2.= A. El centro está ocupado por un caballo que cae en la agonía ya que acaba de ser
atravesado por una lanza o jabalina. La gran herida en el costado del caballo es un foco
importante de la pintura.
3.= E. La cola del toro forma la imagen de una llama. El humo sale de ella y parece que hay
una ventana creada por el tono más claro de gris que lo rodea.
4.= B. Debajo del caballo está un soldado muerto, su mano sobre un brazo cortado que
todavía sujeta una espada rota de la que crece una flor.
5.= C. En la palma de la mano del soldado muerto es una referencia al símbolo del martirio
representado por los estigmas de Cristo (los agujeros hechos en las manos de Cristo, cuando
fue clavado en la cruz).
3
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6.= H. Una bombilla resplandece en la forma de un mal de ojo sobre la cabeza del caballo (la
bombilla de la celda del torturador). El simbolismo de este objeto se relaciona con la palabra
española bombilla, que literalmente significa “pequeña bomba” y por lo tanto significa el
efecto destructivo que la tecnología puede tener sobre la sociedad.
7.= G. En la parte superior de la pintura, a la derecha del caballo, una figura femenina
asustada parece haber flotado a través de una ventana. Su brazo, también flotando, lleva
una lámpara con una llama encendida. La lámpara está muy cerca de la bombilla, y es un
símbolo de la esperanza, en contraste con la bombilla.
8.= K. A la derecha, una mujer se tambalea hacia el centro por debajo de la figura femenina
flotante. Levanta la vista hacia la bombilla encendida.
9.= L. Dagas, que sugieren gritos, reemplazan las lenguas del toro, la mujer que está
llorando, y el caballo.
10.= F Un pájaro, posiblemente una paloma, está en un estante detrás del toro.
11.= I. En el extremo derecho, una figura con los brazos levantados en el terror es atrapada
por el fuego de arriba y abajo.
12.= D. Una pared oscura con una puerta abierta ocupa el lado derecho del cuadro.
Exercise 3: Vocabulary
The following sets of vocabulary are taken from the text above. Most of the English
translations have been provided but some are missing. Fill the spaces with the correct
English translations of the missing vocabulary:
Body parts:
la cabeza: head
___HAND_____
los ojos: __EYES_____
los brazos: arms
la palma: palm (of hand)
la lengua: tongue, language
la mano:
Animals:
el caballo: _HORSE___ el toro: bull
la paloma: dove
el pájaro: bird
Verbs:
gritar: to shout (el grito: shout)
resplandecer: to shine
crecer: to grow
llorar: _TO CRY___
relacionarse: to relate to
salir: leave, go out
rodear: to surround
reemplazar: replace
sujetar: to hold, grasp
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la cola: tail
General:
la espada: sword
el humo: smoke
el foco: focus
la palabra: __WORD____
la tecnología: technology
la sociedad: __SOCIETY___
el cuadro/la pintura: painting
la bombilla: lightbulb
el mal de ojo: evil eye
destructive/a: destructive
la flor: _FLOWER__
el fuego: fire
el soldado: soldier
el martirio: martyrdom
abierto/a: open
la daga: dagger
roto/a: broken
Describing position
a la derecha/al lado derecha: to the right/on the right-hand side
a la izquierda/al lado izquierda: to the left/on the left-hand side
dentro: inside, within
hacia: towards
arriba: ___ABOVE____
detrás (de + noun): behind
abajo: below, beneath
debajo de (+ noun/object): below, beneath
cerca (de + noun): near
sobre: __ON_____
por encima de: above
la parte superior: the upper part
la parte inferior: the lower part
Exercise 4: Translation
Translate the following sentences describing Picasso’s Guernica into Spanish using the
vocabulary above:
Example: The bull is above the woman
Spanish: El toro está por encima de la mujer
1. The horse is beneath the lightbulb. EL CABALLO ESTÁ DEBAJO DE LA BOMBILLA
2. There is a dagger inside the mouth of the horse. HAY UNA DAGA DENTRO DE LA BOCA
DELL CABALLO
3. The lightbulb is in the upper part of the painting. LA BOMBILLA ESTÁ EN LA PARTE
SUPERIOR DE LA PINTURA/DEL CUADRO
4. The broken sword is in the lower part of the painting. LA ESPADA ROTA ESTÁ EN LA
PARTE INFERIOR DE LA PINTURA/DEL CUADRO
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Exercise 5: Presentations
In a small group, research the history, style and content of Picasso’s Guernica and the
Spanish Civil War in more detail and present your findings to your class. You can use the
internet sources listed below, library books and any other resources available.
Your written presentation should be about a paragraph in length but, if possible, you can
also use PowerPoint or other visual media to add detail and interest to your talk.
Each member of the group should deliver a 5-minute presentation to the class - in Spanish on a different aspect of the painting or its historical background.
Remember to try to make eye contact with your audience as you deliver your talk and leave
time for a question and answer session after each group presentation.
Online Resources:
A “zoomable” version of Picasso’s Guernica which allows you to see the painting close-up:
http://www.elrelojdesol.com/zoomable-paintings/pablo-ruiz-picasso/index2.htm
The Wikipedia site on Guernica, which provides a good overview of the historical
background and symbolism of the painting as well as links to other useful web links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(painting)
Key objectives
This activity focuses on the most widely recognised painting by the 20th-century Spanish
artist Pablo Picasso: Guernica. Its key objectives are as follows:
•
To introduce students to one of the most important works of Spanish art, providing
them with background knowledge of the painting’s historical context and an
awareness of its significance as an anti-war statement
•
To encourage students to think about and discuss the possible meanings of Picasso’s
symbolism
•
To extend students’ vocabulary and their ability to describe a painting or scene in
Spanish
•
To develop students’ ability to research the topic both independently and in groups by
stimulating their interest in Spanish art
•
To develop students’ ability to work within a group in order to compile and deliver a
presentation on Spanish art
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•
To give students the confidence to go beyond the activities set out here and explore
the topic in their own time
Outcomes
In addition to the completion of the shorter exercises, the main outcome of this activity is
the group presentation to be given by students on Picasso’s Guernica to their class mates
and teacher.
Helpful hints
This activity could be tied in with the study of vocabulary on body parts, animals, colours and
prepositions.
It lends itself to the study of explaining why we like/dislike things in Spanish, e.g. “Este
cuadro me gusta porque...” ... “No me gusta porque...”
It could also be used to practise the subjunctive voice, e.g. “Yo en el lugar de Picasso hubiera
pintado....”
Teachers could withhold the background information provided at the beginning of the
activity until after students have been asked to consider the painting and discuss what it’s
about. They could then compare their first impressions with what’s known about the
painting to see how close they were to identifying its topic (ie war, violence, etc).
Going further
This activity could lead or be linked to further study of the Spanish Civil War and/or with
study of other works of Spanish art. In order to pursue the latter, Wikipedia sites and other
online resources on artists such as Salvador Dalí or Francisco Goya could be used to
encourage students to think about, discuss and even research Spanish art more broadly.
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Student Version - The Arts: Picasso’s Guernica
Background
Guernica is a town in the Basque region of Spain that was the meeting place of the Biscayne
assembly and a symbol of traditional freedoms of the Basque people. The town is best
known as the scene of an early instance of aerial bombing by German warplanes on April 26
1937, during the Spanish Civil War. The Germans were attacking to support the efforts of
the Spanish General Francisco Franco to overturn the democratically-elected Spanish
Republican government. It was in fact Franco himself who had given permission to his
German allies to bomb Guernica, probably due to the fact that the Basque region has a
distinctive language and culture and a separate identity which went against Franco’s ideal of
a Spain dominated by one language, Castilian Spanish, and one political outlook, Fascism.
Guernica is also the name of a famous painting by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, depicting
the bombing of the town of Guernica. Pablo Picasso was asked by the Spanish Republican
government to paint a picture to decorate the Spanish Pavilion during the 1937 World's fair
in Paris. In response he created a painting representing the recent tragedy of the destruction
of Guernica. Picasso's Guernica depicts people, animals, and buildings exposed to the
violence and chaos of the unexpected attack. This large canvas in shades of black, white and
grey embodies for many the inhumanity, brutality and hopelessness of war, and the cruelty
of bombing civilians.
After the fair, when the Spanish Republican government had been defeated by Franco’s
forces, Picasso refused to allow this painting, one of his most famous, to be displayed in
Spain until after the end of the Franco regime. Guernica therefore spent many years at the
Museum of Modern Art in New York City, but was repatriated after Franco's death. It is now
exhibited in the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid. The exact location was controversial in
Spain, since Picasso's will stated that it should be at the Prado Museum. However, as in the
late 20th century the Prado moved all of its collections of art after the early 19th century to
other nearby buildings in the city for reasons of space, the Reina Sofía, which houses the
capital's national collection of 20th century art, seems the appropriate place for it. A special
gallery was constructed there to display Picasso's masterpiece to best advantage.
8
Villiers Park Educational Trust, Royston Road, Foxton, CB22 6SE www.villierspark.org.uk
Exercise 1: What can you see in Picasso’s Guernica?
Take 5 minutes to look at the painting closely and note down the images you can see. What
do you notice about the style of the work? Is it traditional, abstract, colourful? What kinds of
feelings do you think Picasso intended someone looking at his painting to experience and
why?
Once you’ve noted down your observations discuss them with your classmates and teacher
comparing your ideas and reactions.
Exercise 2: Reading, understanding, translating
El simbolismo de Guernica /The symbolism of Guernica
Read the following sentences in English describing different images depicted in Picasso’s
Guernica. Once you’ve read through them carefully, match them to the corresponding
sentences in Spanish below.
Descriptions of Picasso’s Guernica:
A.
The centre is occupied by a horse falling in agony as it has just been run through by a
spear or javelin. The large wound in the horse's side is a major focus of the painting.
B.
Under the horse is a dead soldier; his hand on a severed arm still grasps a shattered
sword from which a flower grows.
C.
On the open palm of the dead soldier is a reference to the symbol of martyrdom
represented by Christ’s stigmata (the holes made in Christ’s hands when he was nailed to
the cross).
D.
A dark wall with an open door occupies the right-hand side of the painting.
E.
The bull's tail forms the image of a flame. Smoke rises from it and there appears to
be a window created by the lighter shade of grey surrounding it.
F.
A bird, possibly a dove, stands on a shelf behind the bull.
G.
In the upper part of the painting, to the right of the horse, a frightened female figure
appears to have floated through a window. Her arm, also floating, carries a flame-lit lamp.
The lamp is very close to the bulb, and is a symbol of hope, in contrast to the lightbulb.
H.
A lightbulb blazes in the shape of an evil eye over the horse's head (the bare bulb of
the torturer's cell). The symbolism of this object relates to the Spanish word bombilla
(meaning “lightbulb”), which literally means “little bomb” and therefore signifies the
destructive effect which technology can have on society.
9
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I.
On the far right-hand side, a figure with arms raised in terror is entrapped by fire
from above and below.
J.
The overall scene takes place inside a room where, on the left, a wide-eyed bull
hovers over a woman who is crying for the dead child in her arms.
K.
On the right, a woman staggers towards the centre below the floating female figure.
She looks up into the blazing light bulb.
L.
Daggers, which suggest screams, replace the tongues of the bull, the crying woman,
and the horse.
Descriptions of Guernica in Spanish:
1.
La escena toma lugar dentro de una habitación donde, a la izquierda, la cabeza de un
toro con los ojos muy abiertos flota por encima de una mujer que está llorando por el niño
muerto en sus brazos.
2.
El centro está ocupado por un caballo que cae en la agonía ya que acaba de ser
atravesado por una lanza o jabalina. La gran herida en el costado del caballo es un foco
importante de la pintura.
3.
La cola del toro forma la imagen de una llama. El humo sale de ella y parece que hay
una ventana creada por el tono más claro de gris que lo rodea.
4.
Debajo del caballo está un soldado muerto, su mano sobre un brazo cortado que
todavía sujeta una espada rota de la que crece una flor.
5.
En la palma de la mano del soldado muerto es una referencia al símbolo del martirio
representado por los estigmas de Cristo (los agujeros hechos en las manos de Cristo, cuando
fue clavado en la cruz).
6.
Una bombilla resplandece en la forma de un mal de ojo sobre la cabeza del caballo (la
bombilla de la celda del torturador). El simbolismo de este objeto se relaciona con la palabra
española bombilla, que literalmente significa “pequeña bomba” y por lo tanto significa el
efecto destructivo que la tecnología puede tener sobre la sociedad.
7.
En la parte superior de la pintura, a la derecha del caballo, una figura femenina
asustada parece haber flotado a través de una ventana. Su brazo, también flotando, lleva
una lámpara con una llama encendida. La lámpara está muy cerca de la bombilla, y es un
símbolo de la esperanza, en contraste con la bombilla.
8.
A la derecha, una mujer se tambalea hacia el centro por debajo de la figura femenina
flotante. Levanta la vista hacia la bombilla encendida.
9.
Dagas, que sugieren gritos, reemplazan las lenguas del toro, la mujer que está
llorando, y el caballo.
10
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10.
Un pájaro, posiblemente una paloma, está en un estante detrás del toro.
11.
En el extremo derecho, una figura con los brazos levantados en el terror es atrapada
por el fuego de arriba y abajo.
12.
Una pared oscura con una puerta abierta ocupa el lado derecho del cuadro.
Exercise 3: Vocabulary
The following sets of vocabulary are taken from the text above. Most of the English
translations have been provided but some are missing. Fill the spaces with the correct
English translations of the missing vocabulary:
Body parts:
la cabeza: head
________
los ojos: _________
la palma: palm (of hand)
los brazos: arms
la mano:
la lengua: tongue, language
Animals:
el caballo: __________ el toro: bull
la paloma: dove
el pájaro: bird
la cola: tail
Verbs:
gritar: to shout (el grito: shout)
resplandecer: to shine
crecer: to grow
llorar: ____________
relacionarse: to relate to
salir: leave, go out
rodear: to surround
reemplazar: replace
sujetar: to hold, grasp
General:
la espada: sword
el humo: smoke
el foco: focus
la palabra: _____________
la tecnología: technology
la sociedad: ______________
el cuadro/la pintura: painting
la bombilla: lightbulb
el mal de ojo: evil eye
destructive/a: destructive
la flor: __________
abierto/a: open
el fuego: fire
el soldado: soldier
el martirio: martyrdom
la daga: dagger
roto/a: broken
11
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Describing position
a la derecha/al lado derecha: to the right/on the right-hand side
a la izquierda/al lado izquierda: to the left/on the left-hand side
dentro: inside, within
hacia: towards
arriba: __________
detrás (de + noun): behind
abajo: below, beneath
debajo de (+ noun/object): below, beneath
cerca (de + noun): near
sobre: ___________
por encima de: above
la parte superior: the upper part
la parte inferior: the lower part
Exercise 4: Translation
Translate the following sentences describing Picasso’s Guernica into Spanish using the
vocabulary above:
Example: The bull is above the woman
Spanish: El toro está por encima de la mujer
5. The horse is beneath the lightbulb.
6. There is a dagger inside the mouth of the horse.
7. The lightbulb is in the upper part of the painting.
8. The broken sword is in the lower part of the painting.
Exercise 5: Presentations
In a small group, research the history, style and content of Picasso’s Guernica and the Spanish
Civil War in more detail and present your findings to your class. You can use the internet
sources listed below, library books and any other resources available.
Your written presentation should be about a paragraph in length but, if possible, you can also
use PowerPoint or other visual media to add detail and interest to your talk.
Each member of the group should deliver a 5-minute presentation to the class - in Spanish on a different aspect of the painting or its historical background.
Remember to try to make eye contact with your audience as you deliver your talk and leave
time for a question and answer session after each group presentation.
12
Villiers Park Educational Trust, Royston Road, Foxton, CB22 6SE www.villierspark.org.uk
Online Resources:
A “zoomable” version of Picasso’s Guernica which allows you to see the painting close-up:
http://www.elrelojdesol.com/zoomable-paintings/pablo-ruiz-picasso/index2.htm
The Wikipedia site on Guernica, which provides a good overview of the historical background
and symbolism of the painting as well as links to other useful web links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(painting)
13
Villiers Park Educational Trust, Royston Road, Foxton, CB22 6SE www.villierspark.org.uk