Discussion 1: Abstraction and Artistic Purpose
• Describe specific elements of Picasso's Guernica and explain how effective you think the painting is as a protest against the horrors of war.
• Pablo Picasso once wrote "painting is not done to decorate apartments; it is an instrument of war." Explain what you think Picasso meant in this quote about artists and their paintings, regardless of whether a war scene is the subject of the painting. Identify and describe an example of an artwork that represents this viewpoint.
• Explain whether you believe that art has the power to influence thought and action - what people think and what people do.