Final answer:
Pablo Picasso's 'Guernica,' painted in 1937, exhibits characteristics of surrealism with a monochromatic palette, dramatic intensity, and a chaotic composition that convey the horror of war.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pablo Picasso's Guernica was painted in 1937 during a period that's often associated with his interest in Surrealism, and is considered one of his most notable works outside of the Cubism. Despite not utilizing a vibrant color scheme, Guernica exhibits characteristics of dramatic intensity through the use of a monochromatic palette. This choice creates dynamic contrasts and a striking visual kinetic energy, also amplified by the painting's large scale, approximately eleven feet tall and twenty-five feet wide. The composition is complex with a chaotic arrangement of forms, demonstrating compressed space and ambiguous perspectives characteristic of Cubism, while the fragmented semi-abstract bodies add to the visual confusion and intensity of the scene. Picasso used Guernica to depict the terror and destruction of the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, making the artwork a significant antiwar icon that challenges the notion of war as heroic.