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.
1937 年 4 月 26 日, 法西斯軍隊轟炸了西班牙北部 格爾尼卡的巴斯克村。 那是西班牙內戰中 平民死傷最慘烈的事件之一, 戰爭雙邊為民主共和派 和佛朗哥將軍的法西斯軍隊。
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?
對畢卡索而言,這場悲劇 激發了一段瘋狂的創作時期, 這段期間,他創作出了 一幅大型的反戰壁畫, 命名也很巧妙,叫《格爾尼卡》。 這幅畫是很強而有力的作品, 既是歷史記錄,也是政治抗議。 但,雖然畢卡索的 藝術動機很清楚明確, 這幅畫的象徵性則是 和戰爭本身一樣混亂且讓人困惑。 我們要如何理解這幅強大的影像? 是什麼原因讓它成為 反戰藝術的傑作?
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.
這幅畫的紀念性畫布 打從一開始就讓人迷惘, 用畢卡索率先創造的 立體派風格來呈現。 立體派會故意去強調 畫布的二維性質, 做法是將被繪製的對象平面化。 這麼做會讓觀者有多重視角, 且通常是不可能出現的視角, 來看同一個目標對象; 即使在畢卡索的居家畫作中, 這項技巧也被認為很震撼。
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.
但在這種情境之下, 這種風格能形成 很深刻且強大的觀點, 來看待暴力、毀滅,和傷亡。 多重視角只是加重了 呈現出來的恐怖—— 讓目光在畫框內四處飛馳, 徒勞地尋找和平。
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.
在最左邊,一名女子抱著 她死去的孩子,放聲大叫; 她的眼睛以眼淚的形狀 沿著她的臉頰滑落, 她的頭部不自然地向後彎曲, 以呼應她孩子的頭部。 在底下,有一個士兵的雕像, 但他沒辦法保衞這名女子和孩子。 反之,他的身體破碎成四散的碎片, 他的手臂抓著斷裂的劍, 表示最大的戰敗。
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.
劍的尖端碰到女子的腳, 她在嘗試逃離這蹂躪。 但她的另一隻腳 很顯然固定在原處, 即使她延伸身體想要移動它, 它仍然被鎖在畫布的角落。 在這低頭垂肩的身影背後 出現了另一位受害者。 當火焰吞捲了她的周圍時, 她無助地倒下, 她同樣也是被困在 她自己那沒希望的場景中。
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.
這些人物形成了這幅畫的邊界, 他們都被以恐怖的方式困住, 讓這件作品有種強烈的幽閉恐怖感。 你本來預期這畫布的巨大尺寸 應該可以抵消掉這種感覺, 但它的規模反而讓作品上 接近真實大小的殘暴更為明顯。
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?
可能讓人鬆口氣的地方是一盞燈, 一名像鬼一樣的女子從她的窗戶 伸出手,緊緊抓著那盞燈。 但,她的提燈所發出的希望之光 真的能夠點亮這個場景嗎? 或者,是這個鋸齒狀的燈泡—— 一般認為它是代表 現代戰爭的技術—— 照亮了下方的混亂, 讓她看得更清楚?
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?
她的窗戶就像是 棺材一樣侷限著她, 從這扇窗戶,她的手臂 引導著觀者回到爭鬥中, 回到可能是畫作中 最爭議的象徵—— 兩隻像鬼一樣的動物, 被困在毀滅當中。 大聲叫著的馬兒是否具體呈現了 佛朗哥軍隊的民族主義? 或者,穿過牠身體的尖刺 傳達了它的受害者狀態? 白色的公牛是否代表西班牙? 西班牙是個鬥牛的國家, 也是畢卡索作品的常見主題—— 或者它代表的是戰爭的殘酷?
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.
在這個衝突的場景中, 這些動物帶來的問題比答案更多。 在畫中各處隱藏的額外元素 帶給仔細觀賞的觀者更多的秘密。 在畫布的上方,掠過一隻小鳥, 迫切地想要逃離大屠殺。 有這麼多動物呈現在畫作中, 可能是在暗示轟炸的日期—— 那天是市場日, 滿街都是村民、動物, 及其他可能的受害者。
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.
如同格爾尼卡的轟炸事件本身, 畢卡索的畫作中也滿是毀滅。 但,在這片混亂的背後藏著 精心製作的景象和象徵, 實現這幅畫作對於法西斯主義 最多面向的攻擊。 在完成後數十年, 《格爾尼卡》仍然有可以 震撼觀者和引發辯論的威力, 在全世界的反戰聚會上, 也常常會提到它。 數百名觀者在努力破解它的 嚴酷意象、令人不安的象徵性, 以及傳遞的複雜政治訊息。 但,即使無法精準了解 它那複雜的弦外之音, 畢卡索的作品仍然在強烈地提醒,