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Why is this painting so shocking? - Iseult Gillespie

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TEDEd Animation

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In 1937, in one of the worst civilian casualties of the Spanish Civil War, Fascist forces bombed the village of Guernica in Northern Spain. For Pablo Picasso, the tragedy sparked a frenzied period of work in which he produced a massive anti-war mural, titled “Guernica.” How can we make sense of this overwhelming image, and what makes it a masterpiece of anti-war art? Iseult Gillespie investigates.

Do you think that Cubism, rather than more representative techniques, is an effective style for representing war in art? Why or why not?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Iseult Gillespie
  • Director Avi Ofer
  • Narrator Adrian Dannatt
  • Animator Avi Ofer
  • Illustrator Avi Ofer
  • Sound Designer Marcos Tawil
  • Composer Marcos Tawil
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Fact-Checker Joseph Isaac

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