Picasso’s painting Guernica was created in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War (1936 –39). Guernica is an important and iconic anti-fascist artwork that shows the suffering of civilians, caused by political and military conflicts.
It is useful to look back at the events that prompted Picasso to paint Guernica to better understand the continuing significance of this image as a metaphor for resistance. On a busy market day, at 4 p.m., an aerial attack struck the Basque town of Gernika and caused great destruction. (NB When referring to the town, rather than the painting, I’m going to use the Basque spelling.) Gernika is the cultural heart of the Basque region and home to an ancient oak tree considered to be the cradle of democracy. General Francisco Franco initiated a military coup in Spain in 1936 and his fascist allies from Germany and Italy joined this bombing raid in support of his bid for power.
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