HUM FPX 1150 Assessment 2 Art as Expression

Art as Expression

Student Name

Capella University

HUM-FPX1150 

Professor Name

Submission Date

Art has been an integral and significant facet of human civilization and is a medium of expression, communication and introspection. In brief, art is an expression in all ways, whether it is the visual arts (painting, sculpture, etc.), the performing arts (music, dance, etc.) or the literary arts (poems, prose, etc.). This assessment examines Pablo Picasso’s painting, Guernica, as an interesting example of art as expression and the symbolic density, emotional appeal and cultural history that give it significance are discussed. Observation of the expressive qualities of the artwork and of the values it embodies highlights that art is a language that transcends history and culture, and is global and human.

Description of the Artwork

Massive wall-sized oil on canvas painting by Pablo Picasso, Guernica (1937) is highly expressive of the horrors of war. The painting, which depicts the horrific bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, is a chaotic and troubled image, with disfigured people, animals and symbols. Picasso’s Guernica is considered to be one of the most significant works for opposition to war or as an expression of human sorrow. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a Spanish painter and sculptor who spent most of his professional and adult life in France. The whole painting is fragmented by geometric forms, and, in a monochromatic palette of black, white, and grey, the original painting portrays a screaming mother and her dead child, the maimed soldier, and the frightened horse speared through. As in scope and in impact, Guernica is a strong affirmation of the terror of violence, and one of the most impassioned anti-war paintings of the 20th century.

Explain the meaning of the artwork

 Picasso’s Guernica is a work filled with grief and with all the suffering of the collective and of moral indignation for the brutality of war. The grim expressions and contorted bodies convey the individual pain as well as the tragedy of the lost lives of innocent people across the board. Grasps the significance of “bombing”, as well as the connotations of shattered forms and greys that suggest chaos, hopelessness and lack of humanity. The War is not the actual depiction of the war, but of the depiction of suffering. While at the same time, subtle aspects such as the light bulb shining upon the scene imply openness and an appeal for attention, as if Picasso wanted to shed light on concealed atrocities. The painting to me is sad but it’s also rebellious: It’s about how our humanity needs justice and that truth will overcome tyranny.

Features of the work that have expressive power

Guernica has an extraordinarily expressive force on three points. One, the monochrome of the black, white and gray palette gives the project a sad atmosphere with no distractions, making you feel the desolation of war. Picasso was not very fond of adding color to the message, hence the final choice of him to go with all white, black and grey.

Secondly, jagged lines and protruding forms contribute to the state of chaos and help to heighten the image of the bombing in terms of its sense of turmoil and violence. Additionally, African masks had an impact on Picasso’s art, with many of his paintings and drawings featuring images of these masks. African masks, too, with their carved angularity, can be spotted in many paintings and drawings of Picasso’s oeuvre. Lastly, a human/animal figure is placed on top of another, in a claustrophobic and overcrowded environment, hinting at suffocation and agonizing experience. They in combination, are beyond the usual vocabulary of painting and help it convey a brutal pain and urgency to which we are forced to listen.

Cultural perspective

Last but not least, the knowledge of culture is important when it comes to understanding Guernica. Overall, the painting can be interpreted as a commentary on the human condition and the importance of peace, resilience, and justice in the world. The overall tone of the painting may be a commentary on the belief in peace, resilience, and justice of a society that holds those values highly and it could be a lament to the suffering of humanity or a plea to act to prevent being brutalized.

By placing the painting in its historical context, wars and humanitarian crises become more apparent and emphasize the painting’s focus on the pain and disorder. There is no respite in humanity in Guernica, and everything is destruction and death. But this is skewed by cultural bias – and this is about moral or humanitarian meanings, not necessarily about aesthetic originality. This emphasizes the way that cultural values inform the meaning given to the painting and point towards its ethical message of peace and resilience.

Conclusion

Pablo Picasso’s painting Guernica is a complex and cultural artwork that speaks universal messages of suffering, resistance and hope that transcend its historic context. The painting continues as a powerful symbol, a reminder of the number of humans who have suffered as a consequence of violent conflict and an emotional reminder of the human cost of violence. The analysis illustrates how perspectives can help in the interpretation process, both in terms of commonalities and inevitable biases. In a larger sense, Guernica reminds us not just of an inhuman disaster, but is also an ageless reminder of the need to create peace and justice in all societies.

For the next (3rd) assessment of this class visit: HUM FPX 1150 Assessment 3