About the project
Guernica
“La pintura no ha sido hecha para decorar los apartamentos. Es un instrumento de guerra ofensiva y defensiva contra el enemigo.”
-Pablo Picasso
Art as a Form of Protest
Who doesn’t love talking about Picasso’s iconic Guernica with their Spanish students?
This topic is a personal favorite of mine for several reasons. First, I love the painting, its history and its enduring message, which is still relevant today, so many years after it was painted. Second, it lends itself beautifully to an interdisciplinary approach, including collaboration with history and art teachers. If that’s not something that happens easily at your school, you can at least guarantee interdisciplinary content in your own classroom while teaching this unit!
Last but not least, this unit explores historical and cultural content related to the painting and then, as in every topic I teach, students have the opportunity to bring the learning back to their own context and to use what they have learned to create and showcase an original work of art. Their artistic effort leads back to the fundamental question posed in this unit: how can art be a powerful form of protest?
So, without further ado, here are all the content details, materials and activities.
Project details
Cultural, Content and Language Learning Objectives:
Describe the historical context of the bombing of the town of Guernika and how that motivated Picasso to paint this painting
Analyze the images of the painting using past partciples, and how the images bring to light the horrors of war
Use verbs like Gustar to express emotions (in the context of a work of art)
Compare and contrast the Spanish civil war with the American civil war to arrive at an understanding of the causes of civil wars
Navigate a museum website in Spanish to make a plan to visit the museum and a particular exhibit
Create an original artwork to highlight a chosen cause
Level: Intermediate (Level 3), Advanced (Level 4, 5), IB SL, HL
Inquiry Question: How can art be a powerful form of protest? (¿Cómo puede ser el arte una forma poderosa de protesta? )
Authentic Materials: Painting Guernica, National Geographic article on Guernica, Blog Post by an Argentinian blogger, Museu Picasso web site
Language Structures Emphasized: Verbos como gustar, participios pasados used as adjectives.
Final Project: Creation and presentation of an original work of art that highlights an issue/cause of student’s choosing.
