Picasso was enraged by the destruction of the Spanish town of Guernica, and his strong feelings inspired him to create the mural for the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 World's Fair. Yet once inspired, Picasso did not create this work in a hasty flurry of anger; he was, as in all his work, incredibly thoughtful. He made many decisions throughout the process of creation that enhanced the painting's strong anti-war sentiment without turning it into pure political propaganda.
In this lesson students explore both the passion that inspired Picasso to take political action and the thought process behind the work. Students will reflect on their own decision making process when they feel compelled to take public action. This lesson will lead students to investigate the following Life-long Learning Question: How does passion inspire public action?
Grade Level: High School
Subject Areas: Visual Arts, Social Studies, Life Skills
Lesson Length: one week unit
Learning Goals
Students will:
1. analyze artistic decisions (use of visual elements, composition, symbolism) and determine how Picasso's choices affected the communication of a powerful anti-war message. (Visual Arts Standard 2) http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/standards/visarts/S2.html
2. construct a position statement and plan to achieve goals related to a social issue or problem pertinent to their lives. (Social Studies Standard 10) http://www.ncss.org/standards/teachers/standards.html#theme10
3. evaluate factors that influence a decision-making process and apply this understanding to an evaluation of their own decision-making process as it pertains to a problem pertinent to their lives. (Life Skills: Thinking and Reasoning Standard 1)
http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/standards/think/S1.html
Assessment of Student Knowledge and Skills
Students will be able to:
1. identify the way organizational principles of art solve visual art problems in order to effectively communicate ideas.
2. identify a specific social issue or problem and work with others to decide on an appropriate expression that incorporates their opinions both as individuals and as citizens within a community.
3. make decisions based on options and criteria presented and self-assess the group decision-making process.
Lesson Materials and Preparation
- view Treasures of the World Program 1: Guernica: Testimony of War and review this web site
- research materials: library, newspapers, Internet
- image of Guernica
Procedures
1. Picasso generally disdained politics, yet he painted one of the most powerful anti-war statements in the history of art. Read Picasso's commitment to the cause, then brainstorm with the class about Picasso's thoughts and creative process in the making of Guernica. Consider his decision to paint a work in response to the bombing of Guernica:
- What influenced him to make a political statement?
- What was going on Picasso's life at this time?
- What impact could his earlier work, The Dream and Lie of Franco, have had on his decision to create Guernica?
Acknowledge with the students that you are making educated guesses, or hypotheses, about Picasso's thinking, as it is not possible to read another person's mind. Have the students justify their hypotheses based on information in the episode, and in this website, as well as from what can be seen in the painting.
2. Have the students look closely at the painting to gather more information about Picasso's creative process.
- Why do you think Picasso chose the color, lines and shapes that he did?
- How do these visual elements contribute to the strength of the political message?
- What figures did he include and how did he depict them?
- What decisions must he have made when including those figures (for example, why include a mother and child? a dying soldier? a horse? a bull?)
- How might these figures be symbolic to Picasso both personally and politically?
3. Discuss with the students particular moments in the episode that reveal how Picasso changed his mind during the creation process (41:43:20 - 44:07:00). For example, how did Picasso's decision to paint over the raised arm with a clenched fist, or to remove all color, strengthen the painting's message?
4. Read the Spanish Pavilion, then discuss whether Picasso was successful in conveying his anger and grief about the bombing of Guernica.
- What did Picasso's contemporaries say about Guernica?
- What did Picasso himself say about this painting?
- How have others responded to the painting?
- How does the painting make you feel?
5. Just as Picasso was moved to make a public statement, discuss with the students any situations in which they have felt the need to take political action. Have them answer the question: "What issue in our society do you feel strongly about, and why?"
6. As an assignment, ask students to further research the issue that is important to them. After doing their research, the students can write a position statement about why this issue affects them, both as individuals and as citizens within a community.
7. Have students present their position statements to the class and discuss the ways in which they can effectively express their opinions and concern (i.e. through letters to government officials or community leaders; through visual art, poetry, music, dramatic performance or dance; through activism; through public protest or civil disobedience; through petitioning.)
8. Have students form groups based on the types of issues they have selected (i.e. arts, education, environment, health, human rights or social welfare.)
9. As students plan what form of expression their opinion will take, have them keep journals that trace their thought process in the group.
- What important decisions did they need to make?
- What conflicts arose in the group and how did they resolve them?
- What did they do if their political expressions were controversial? If friends or family disagreed with them?
- How did they combine their individual personal feelings with the opinions of the whole group?
- How did they rework their project (re-edit a letter, re-word a campaign slogan, re-compose a song, re-plan a demonstration) to make their message stronger?
- How did their process compare to Picasso's? Did they, like Picasso, change their minds throughout the process?
10. To conclude the lesson, schedule an activism day or fair at which each group explains their project and discusses the ways their individual passions informed their process of taking public action.
Vocabulary
activism
controversial
passion
political
process
public action
social issues
treasure
Web Links
Resources for student activism projects:
International Student Activism Alliance
http://www.studentactivism.org/
BRAT
http://www.brat.org/
Resources for learning more about Picasso:
Teachers' Guide to Picasso: The Early Years, 1892-1906
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/picteach.htm
Picasso, Pablo - MSN Encarta
http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?ti=045CD000
Extension Activities
Man vs. Technology
Grade Level: Middle or High School
Subject Areas: Social Studies, Visual Arts, Communications
Discuss Picasso's reaction to the bombing of Guernica. Discuss the symbolism he used, in particular, the use of the light bulb to represent both technological innovation and the bomb. Have students select a current new technology with potential harmful consequences (i.e. cloning, genetically altered agriculture, nuclear power.) Instruct students to create a poster using collage to present their opinions about this potentially harmful new technology. Have them keep in mind the need for a "key symbol" to represent their political stance on this issue, such as Picasso's use of the light bulb. In creating their images, have students consider the elements of composition, line and color that will convey their messages most effectively.
World Fairs: Global Arenas for Art and Politics
Grade Level: High School
Subject Areas: History, Visual Art, Language Arts
Picasso was asked to create a mural for the 1937 Paris Exposition, but he was not inspired until an intense political issue impassioned him to create Guernica. As he painted the mural, he was very aware of where this painting would be seen and who would see it. Have students research the history of World Fairs. What were the goals of World Fairs in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? What forms of international gatherings and showcases do we have today that are similar to World Fairs? Have students select a key image from a past World Fair, or from a recent world event such as the Olympics, and write an essay comparing this image to Picasso's Guernica. Have them discuss why Picasso's image and message are different from standard World Fair imagery and the reason Picasso's image was so controversial.
The Artistic Mind and the Role of Art in Society
Grade Levels: High School
Subject Areas: Visual Arts
After watching another Treasures of the World episode, compare the inspirations, motivations and intents of two different artists in creating their works of art. What is the difference, for example, between Picasso's passion to create Guernica and Shah Jahan's desire to build the Taj Mahal? Or between Leonardo da Vinci's perfectionism and Fabergé's meticulous attention to detail? Are there other ways in which the artists in these programs are similar or dissimilar? Compare the ways in which these artists went about achieving their goals. Consider the techniques and materials they used as well as the cultural context of their work.
Consider the role of the artist in society. Is an artist's role to make art that is visually pleasing, as with the Taj Mahal? Or should artists create works that may not be visually pleasing, or "comfortable," but which challenge us to think more deeply about what we see, as Picasso did? Are both art forms valid? How do both art forms inspire us? How can Guernica and the Taj Mahal be seen as both intensely public and private works of art? Research and consider some of the current controversy in the art world today.
