ArtsNational Shoalhaven: Picasso’s Guernica by Paul Chapman

Picasso’s Guernica (1937) is considered by many to be his greatest masterpiece. Painted as a reaction to the bombing of the Basque town during the Spanish Civil War, it shows the horror, cruelty and devastation of modern warfare. The painting also explores many themes – love, death, nationhood, motherhood and Picasso’s own life at that time. The painting is also full of cross references to the history of art. Guernica has a history of its own once it left Picasso’s studio, and its story continues. A painting worth spending some time to get to know a little better.

Paul is an Art Historian and a National Gallery trained guide with considerable experience in education. Paul delivers courses and lectures for educational organisations as well as tours for art associations/societies in Museums and Galleries in the UK and Europe. He is a guide at Longford Castle art collection In Wiltshire and is a visiting tutor at Marlborough College. Paul has published a book on cultural crossovers and appropriations in 20th century painting