Final answer:
Picasso's Guernica is a response to the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. Using a monochrome palette and fragmented forms, the painting depicts the tragedy of war and has become a universal anti-war symbol. The overwhelming public exposure it received at the 1937 International Exposition in Paris amplified its impact.
Step-by-step explanation:
The background context for Picasso's painting Guernica is rooted in the historical events of the Spanish Civil War. Horror struck the town of Guernica on April 27, 1937, when it became the target of history's first aerial saturation bombing by Hitler's powerful German air force, aided by Italian forces, on behalf of General Francisco Franco. This merciless attack on the Basque town, with no strategic military significance, lasted over three hours, where approximately 100,000 pounds of explosives were dropped, leaving the city in ruins, taking the lives of a third of its population, and injuring many more.
Picasso's inspiration for creating Guernica stemmed from the devastation he felt upon learning of this atrocity, with the painting serving as a stark outcry against the horrors of war. Distinguished by its monochromatic palette of gray, black, and white, Guernica captures the chaotic and terrifying nature of war, depicted through fragmented and distorted forms, such as the mutilated bodies and the gored horse, creating a powerful visual statement of pain and suffering.
This masterpiece, which was displayed to an international audience at the 1937 International Exposition in Paris, has since evolved into a universal symbol of anti-war sentiment and the condemnation of violence against civilians. Picasso utilizes a combination of abstraction and Cubism to express the intensity of the events and the emotional impact they left on society.