Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous artists of the 20th century and continues to have a lasting impact on modern art. Born 1881 to Spanish parents, he began studying art at the Barcelona School of Fine Arts at the age of 13, before being sent by his parents to Madrid’s Royal Academy of San Fernando. By 1901, Picasso had moved to Paris and had begun signing his work as Picasso, rather than Pablo Ruiz y Picasso. He became a favorite of art collectors and is most widely known for his development of Cubism, although his artistic work went through many phases.
In 1937, Picasso was commissioned by the Spanish Republican government to paint a mural for the Paris World Fair. At this time, he painted one of his best known works, Guernica, depicting the German bombing of this Spanish city during the Spanish Civil War. Painted in black, white, and grey, the mural quickly gained colossal status, depicting the tragedy and suffering of war. The piece eventually went on a brief world tour and helped bring attention to the Spanish Civil War.
The piece itself it quite complex. To the left of the room, a bull stands over a grieving mother holding her dead child. In the center, a horse has been run through by a spear, displaying a huge wound on its side. Under the horse is a dead soldier, and to its right is a frightened woman. Another woman walks toward her. Throughout the mural are scattered references to both hope and violence, portraying the many emotions found in war.