2. History of the Artwork
Picasso was
commissioned by The
Spanish
Republic, Government
of Spain, to paint
Guernica following the
bombing by German
and Italian forces of the
Basque town of that
name during the
Spanish Civil War of
1936-39, to be
displayed at the 1937
World’s Fair in Paris.
3. Historical Context
Guernica is a town in the province
of Biscay in Basque Country.
During the Spanish Civil War, it
was regarded as the northern
bastion of the Republican
resistance movement and the
epicenter of Basque culture,
adding to it’s significance as a
target.
The Republican forces were made
up of many assorted factions with
many different approaches and
goals, but they were all commonly
opposed to the Nationalists.
4. The Bombing of Guernica
At 16:30 on Monday the 26th
of April 1937, warplanes of
the German Condor Legion,
commanded by Colonel
Wolfram von Richthofen,
bombed Guernica for two
hours. Germany at this time
was led by Hitler, who was
lending support to the
Nationalists to test out his
new weapons and tactics.
5. Picasso’s Response
After the bombing, Picasso became aware of what
had occurred in his native country. At this time he
had already been commissioned by the Spanish
Republic Government.
He then changed his original idea on May 1st 1937
and began working on Guernica.
