“In the panel I am working on, which I call Guernica, I clearly express my repugnance for the military caste that has sunk Spain into an ocean of pain and death." -Pablo Picasso Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay How protesting a war helps influence the people who protest it do they think differently? In 1937, Picasso expressed his anger against the war by exhibiting his gigantic work of art, Guernica, to thousands of spectators at the World Exhibition in Paris. Since then, the painting has become one of the most powerful indictments against the war After the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, the desire to create an anti-war symbol, the need to express his political loyalty to Spain and a commission from the republican government led Picasso to paint Guernica. The first cause of Picasso's painting Guernica was a commission from the republican government. Commission means a form of payment for your services to the government in any way. The Spanish government had asked Picasso to paint an exhibition for the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne, which was to be held on May 25 in Paris, France (Preston, 2007). The fair was intended to host exhibitions by artists from all over the world and intended to showcase the best technological and scientific achievements achieved so far worldwide. The event would be the sixth of its kind and there was great acclaim for the exhibits at previous events. The scale of this event was so great that by its fourth event, in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was built to be its centerpiece. This required a lot of responsibility on Picasso's part (Read, 1999). At the time, Picasso was living in France itself, and the Spanish Civil War had broken out only a few months earlier. He accepted the commission, but for a long time he had no inspiration for the actual work of art. His initial plans included an artwork about an artist's studio, but he never felt any real connection to that project. On April 26, 1937, just a month before the exhibition date, everything changed. Following the ongoing Spanish Civil War, the town of Guernica in the Basque Country, Spain, was bombed by German and Italian warplanes (Preston, 2007). The bombing caused the death of local civilians in that area, on a scale that is still discussed to this day. The inspiration Picasso was looking for to paint his commissioned piece finally presented itself. An exhibition dedicated to technological achievements probably did not expect to address the negative aspects of such progress: war technology. That same commission yielded, as an outlet, and led Picasso to paint one of his most cherished and iconic paintings, Guernica. The second reason Picasso painted Guernica was to create an anti-war symbol. An anti-war symbol represents peace that opposes a specific war. The Spanish Civil War was primarily a conflict between the current Spanish nationalist government and the secondary left-wing revolutionary government that supported democracy (Musciano, 2004). The bombing of Guernica had a particular impact because the ruling Nationalist government ordered it to target and attack its own innocent civilians for political gain. News of the attack outraged Picasso, who although he lived in France, was still a Spanish citizen. The bombing occurred on April 26, 1937 and just five days later, on May 1, Picasso began the initial design of Guernica (Cantelupe, 1971). In the painting, Picasso illustrates the tragedies of war and the reckless limits to which institutionsthey may come to maintain power, even killing innocent people and leaving millions of others in suffering. The individuals in the painting are portrayed with tragic expressions, suffering and desperation. The use of black, white and gray color palettes further enhances the catastrophes of war. Guernica quickly came to represent the horrors of war in that time period, especially after the tragedies of the First World War which left millions of innocent civilians still suffering (Musicano, 2004). More importantly, it allowed Picasso to support war and call for peace. It was extremely crucial for Picasso to create a work of art that could convey his desire to end the war, and his anti-war Guernica did just that. Picasso himself stated while working on the work that “[his] entire life as an artist has been nothing but a continuous struggle against reaction and the death of art. How could anyone think for a moment that [he] could be okay with reaction and death?” It became a symbol of peace and acceptance movements, of anti-nationalist and right-wing governments taking advantage of innocent civilians, and of Picasso entering the political sphere. The third reason Picasso painted Guernica was the need to express his political loyalty to Spain. Political loyalty means devotion or commitment to a political community or cause. Before painting Guernica following the bombings, Picasso had never dealt heavily with politics, or even with social issues. For Picasso he was a man linked to no country in particular. He was a Spanish citizen, but spent most of his time in France (Cooke, 1982). He felt no desire to maintain strong loyalty to his home country. However, after the bombing of Guernica, everything changed. Picasso was overwhelmed by the desire to support the innocent civilians of his home country. This instilled in Picasso the need to express his political loyalty to Spain. However, this loyalty was to a nation and not its government. He not only wanted to create an anti-war symbol, but also establish his political alliance with the Spanish people. Picasso felt that Spain had turned into a playground where war-driven governments could play, regardless of the deaths of innocent civilians, and he needed to change that. His political loyalty was to liberate Spain from the fascist government currently in power (Thomas, 2001). He took that political loyalty to his nation and channeled it into painting Guernica, and made sure to take full advantage of his power and spread his political views and ideologies. When the painting was completed, it was sent on a world tour and Picasso refused to let it enter Spain until the Spanish Civil War was finally resolved, with results in favor of the secondary left-wing government that had emerged (Koenderink, 2012 ). In fact, the painting was used to raise funds for Spanish refugees and civilians and to draw attention by creating global awareness about the atrocities of the civil war. Not only did he dive into the political pool, he dove in head-on, and his need to be politically involved led him to paint Guernica. He may not be a politician, but he could still use his powerful art to promote political awareness and change. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay"In the panel I am working on, which I call Guernica, I clearly express my repugnance for the military caste that has plunged Spain into an ocean of pain and death.” Works Cited Cantelupe, A.:.