ck as far as the Minoan Age”(Blunt 44). The bull stands firmly, and stoically, presenting strength, while theexpression on his face seems sympathetic to the scene around him, especially themother with the dead child to which his is facing. However, sympathy is not theexpression on the bull’s face, but rather he is melancholy for his own destruction. Upon seeing the scene of tragedy, the bull seems to lament for the inevitablechaos it will bring himself. “The Yin and Yang are seen in Guernica as the darknostrils of the horse and the light nostrils of the bull. Black and white, day andnight, good and evil, civilization and barbarism: many dualisms come into play”(Becraft 29). The bull is Fascism, and the horse is the people. Fascism hascaused its own destruction by elevating the dissatisfaction of the people. The final animal in Guernica is the bird, which is barely distinguishablebecause of its dark tones. Because it is somewhat hidden and smaller than theother figures, it seems to be related to the “dove of peace” from the Bible, whichis often not largely visible in Christian art, but instead is a small hidden objectbringing its message from afar. However, this bird resembles a goose. Oneexplanation for this rather artistically uncommon creature appearing in the muralis that because of a reputation that, “since the time when geese, owing to theirwatchfulness and cackling, saved Rome from hostile attack, it has been knownthat geese are excellent sentinels” (Fisch 48). The bird is the savior of thepeople. It is the character who announces the catastrophe to spur a rescueeffort. The people are dependent on this figure for its ability to be a third party tothe conflict, and come to the aid of those in distress. Because Guernica does evoke a judgment or conclusion, it is undoubtedly acontemporary political statement. However, Picasso was devoted to the classicimagery which inspir...
