On April 26th, 1937, Fascist forces bombed the Basque village of Guernica in Northern Spain. It was one of the worst civilian casualties of the Spanish Civil War, waged between the democratic republic and General Franco’s fascist contingent.
Dana 26. aprila 1937. godine, fašističke snage su bombardovale baskijsko selo Gernika u severnoj Španiji. Bio je to jedan od najgorih slučajeva civilnih žrtava Španskog građanskog rata vođenog između demokratske republike i fašističkog kontingenta generala Franka.
For Pablo Picasso, the tragedy sparked a frenzied period of work in which he produced a massive anti-war mural, aptly titled "Guernica." The painting is a powerful work of historical documentation and political protest. But while Picasso’s artistic motivations are clear, the symbolism of the painting can be as confusing and chaotic as war itself. How can we make sense of this overwhelming image, and what exactly makes it a masterpiece of anti-war art?
Kod Pabla Pikasa je ova tragedija podstakla mahnit period rada tokom kojeg je stvorio ogromni antiratni mural, prigodno nazvan „Gernika“. Slika predstavlja moćno delo istorijske dokumentacije i političkog protesta. Ali, mada su jasni Pikasovi umetnički motivi, simbolika slike može biti zbunjujuća i haotična kao i sam rat. Kako možemo shvatiti ovu nadmoćnu sliku i šta je tačno čini remek-delom antiratne umetnosti?
The painting’s monumental canvas is disorienting from the start, rendered in the abstracted Cubist style Picasso pioneered. Cubism deliberately emphasized the two-dimensionality of the canvas by flattening the objects being painted. This afforded viewers multiple and often impossible perspectives on the same object; a technique considered shocking even in Picasso’s domestic scenes.
Monumentalno platno slike dezorijentiše od samog početka, prikazano u apstraktnom kubističkom stilu, čiji je začetnik bio Pikaso. Kubizam je namerno naglašavao dvodimenzionalnost platna tako što se naslikani predmeti spljošte. To gledaocima pruža višestruke i često nemoguće perspektive gledanja istog predmeta, što je tehnika koju su smatrali šokantnom čak i na Pikasovim domaćim prikazima.
But in this context, the style offers a profoundly overwhelming view of violence, destruction, and casualties. Multiple perspectives only compound the horror on display– sending the eyes hurtling around the frame in a futile hunt for peace.
Ali u ovom kontekstu, stil nudi duboko poražavajući pogled na nasilje, uništenja i žrtve. Višestruke perspektive samo doprinose hororu na prikazu tako što vuku pogled unaokolo u uzaludnoj potrazi za mirom.
On the far left, a woman holding her dead child releases a scream; her eyes sliding down her face in the shape of tears and her head bending back unnaturally to echo her baby’s. There is the statue of a soldier present below, but he is unable to defend the woman and child. Instead his broken body lies in pieces, his arm clutching a splintered sword in a signal of utmost defeat.
Na krajnjoj levoj strani vrišti žena koja drži svoje mrtvo dete; oči joj klize niz lice u obliku suza, a glava joj je neprirodno savijena unazad da bi oponašala bebinu glavu. Ispod se nalazi statua vojnika, ali on nije u stanju da brani ženu i dete. Njegovo slomljeno telo umesto toga leži u delovima, a ruka mu čvrsto drži polomljeni mač kao znak krajnjeg poraza.
The tip of his sword meets a woman’s foot as she attempts to flee the devastation. But her other leg appears rooted to the spot, locked in the corner of the canvas even as she stretches to move it. Another victim appears behind this slouching figure. Falling helplessly as flames lick around her, she too is caught in her own hopeless scene.
Vrh mača nailazi na stopalo žene koja pokušava da pobegne od razaranja. Ali njena druga noga izgleda ukopano u mestu, zakovano u uglu platna, čak i dok se proteže da bi je pomerila. Još jedna žrtva se pojavljuje iza te trome figure. Bespomoćno pada dok plamen palaca oko nje, takođe zarobljena u svojoj beznadežnoj sceni.
Each of these figures bordering the painting are horribly trapped, giving the work an acute sense of claustrophobia. And where you might expect the canvas’ massive size to counteract this feeling, its scale only highlights the nearly life-sized atrocities on display.
Svaka od ovih figura na ivicama slike je užasno zatočena, što delu daje snažan osećaj klaustrofobije. Mada biste očekivali da se tom osećanju suprotstavi ogromna veličina platna, ona samo naglašava prikazane užase u skoro prirodnoj veličini.
Some possible relief comes from a lamp held tightly by a ghostly woman reaching out her window. But is her lantern’s hopeful glow truly lighting the scene? Or is it the jagged lightbulb– thought to represent the technologies of modern warfare– which illuminates her view of the chaos below?
Moguće olakšanje dolazi od lampe koju čvrsto drži sablasna žena dok poseže rukom kroz prozor. Ali, da li sjaj njenog fenjera koji daje nadu zaista osvetljava scenu? Ili šiljasta sijalica - za koju se smatra da predstavlja tehnologije modernog ratovanja - osvetljava njen pogled na haos ispod?
From the coffin-like confines of her window, her arm guides the viewer back into the fray, to perhaps the most controversial symbols of all– two ghostly animals caught in the destruction. Does the screaming horse embody the threat of Franco’s military nationalism; or does the spike running through its body convey its victimhood? Does the white bull represent Spain, the country of matadors and a common theme in Picasso’s work– or does it stand for the brutality of war?
Iz okvira njenog prozora nalik na kovčeg, njena ruka vodi gledaoca nazad u okršaj, do možda najkontroverznijih od svih simbola - dve sablasne životinje zahvaćene uništenjem. Da li konj koji vrišti otelotvoruje pretnju Frankovog vojnog nacionalizma ili šiljak koji mu prolazi kroz telo predstavlja požrtvovanje? Da li beli bik predstavlja Španiju, zemlju matadora i čestu temu u Pikasovim delima, ili predstavlja brutalnost rata?
In this scene of strife, these animals raise more questions than answers. And additional elements hidden throughout the frame offer even more secrets for close observers. At the top of the canvas flashes a bird desperate to escape the carnage. And the abundance of animals on display may hint at the bombing’s date– a market day which flooded the streets with villagers, animals, and other potential causalities.
U sceni sukoba, ove životinje pokreću više pitanja nego odgovora. Dodatni elementi skriveni kroz okvir pružaju još više tajni za one koji bliže osmotre. Na vrhu platna juri ptica koja očajnički želi da pobegne od pokolja. A obilje životinja koje su prikazane može nagovestiti datum bombardovanja - pijačni dan na koji su ulice bile prepune seljaka, životinja i drugih potencijalnih žrtava.
Like the bombing of Guernica itself, Picasso’s painting is dense with destruction. But hidden beneath this supposed chaos, are carefully crafted scenes and symbols, carrying out the painting’s multifaceted attack on fascism. Decades after its creation, "Guernica" retains its power to shock viewers and ignite debate, and is often referenced at anti-war gatherings around the world. Hundreds of viewers have grappled with its harsh imagery, shattering symbolism and complex political messaging. But even without a close understanding of it’s complicated subtext, Picasso’s work remains a searing reminder of the true casualties of violence.
Kao i samo bombardovanje Gernike, Pikasova slika je puna uništenja. Ali ispod ovog tobožnjeg haosa su skrivene pažljivo izrađene scene i simboli kojima slika vrši višestruki napad na fašizam. Nekoliko decenija nakon što je nastala, „Gernika“ i dalje ima moć da šokira posmatrače i podstakne rasprave, i često se pominje na antiratnim okupljanjima širom sveta. Stotine gledalaca se hvatalo u koštac sa njenim neprijatnim slikama, rušilačkom simbolikom i složenim političkim porukama. Ali čak i bez bližeg razumevanja složenog podteksta, Pikasov rad ostaje gorak podsetnik na prave žrtve nasilja.