Pablo Picasso painted Guernica in 1937 in response to the bombing of Guernica, Spain by Nazi Germany. The black, white, and gray painting depicts the suffering of victims through symbolic images like a screaming mother holding her dead child, a pierced horse, and a lightbulb representing the destruction of technology. After debuting in Paris, Guernica toured internationally and became famous for drawing attention to the Spanish Civil War, eventually being housed permanently in Spain.

1. PICASSO
AND
GUERNICA
A PRESENTATION BY STUDENTS FROM THE 4TH GRADE

2. THE LIFE OF PABLO PICASSO
WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY IRENE, YAGO AND MONICA FROM 4ºA

3. Pablo Picasso was born
October 25, 1881 in
Málaga, Spain.
Picasso began to study art in 1890,
and his father was his first teacher.
Le picador was the name of his first
painting.

4. In 1900, he made he first
trip to Paris.
He invented cubism in 1907.
Cubism is an type of art that is made up
of cubes, spheres and other geometric
shapes. Les Demoiselles D'Avignon was
the first painting by Picasso that used
the cubist style.

5. He painted Guernica in 1937 because
Nazi Germany bombed the Basque town
of Guernica.
.
Boy with Pipe, Artist and His Model and
Mother and Child are some paintings by
Pablo Picasso.
He died on 8 April, 1973 in Mougins,
France. He was 91 years old.

6. THE HISTORY OF
GUERNICA
WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY JORGE, MARIANA AND DANIEL FROM 4ºB

7. Guernica was painted by Pablo Picasso in
1937. It was his reaction to the events of
26th April, 1937. That afternoon, Nazi
Germany, at the request of Franco’s regime,
bombed the small town of Guernica located
in País Vasco, Spain. The bombing, which
was a surprise, left many people dead.
Picasso was so angry that he wanted to
paint something that would sent the
message of “No more wars”.

8. Guernica is a giant painting. It
measures 3,5 metres tall and
almost 8 metres long! The
colors in the painting are black,
grey, and white to show the
seriousness and sadness of the
moment. There are many
important images such as a bull,
a horse and a woman holding
her child. This painting brought
world attention to the Spanish
Civil War happening in Spain.

9. Guernica was first shown in July 1937 at the Paris Exhibition in
France. After this, the painting was shown all over the world, and it
became very famous. It first went to several European countries. Next it
went to the United States, where it stayed from 1939 to 1981…more
than 40 years! Picasso always wanted the painting to return to Spain,
but only when Franco was no longer in power and there was a republic
once again the country. In 1981, the painting finally returned to Spain:
from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City to Madrid.
Now, you can see Guernica at the Reina Sofia Museum.

10. SYMBOLIC IMAGES OF GUERNICA
WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY CARLOS, EMILIO AND LORENA FROM 4ºB

11. The bull is located on the
left side of the painting. It
has a dark body and a
white head. It represents
cruelty and darkness.
There is an arrow next to
the head of the dead
soldier. It is a symbol of
war.

12. The lightbulb is located at the
top of the painting. It symbolizes
both the benefits of modern
technology but also the
destruction of modern war.
There is a dead solider at the
bottom of the painting. He has one
arm with an open hand holding a
broken sword and a flower. He
represents the hope of peace in a
horrible place.
There is a dove between the heads
of the bull and the horse. Its body
is all dark except for a small
part which is white. It has a
broken wing to represent broken
peace.

13. The mother with her dead
child is under the bull. She is
in pain and her eyes look like
teardrops because she has
been crying. It is a religious
symbol of the Virgin Mary, the
mother of Jesus.
The horse is located in the
center of the painting. Its
head and its body are facing
different directions. It
represents the innocent
victims of the war
A man looking at the sky at
the right of the painting is
inspired by Goya’s painting El
tres de mayo de 1808 en
Madrid. It is Picasso’s way of
telling us to stop war.

14. SPECIAL THANKS
• Thank you to the 4th Grade students who took part in making and designing
this wonderful presentation. Fantastic job!
• A special shout-out to all the classes of Ciudad Pegaso for coming together
and creating a very beautiful (and colorful) version of Guernica.
• Lastly, thankYOU all for taking part in another successful Peace Week here
at our school!