On April 26th, 1937, Fascist forces bombed the Basque village  of Guernica in Northern Spain. It was one of the worst civilian  casualties of the Spanish Civil War, waged between the democratic republic and  General Franco’s fascist contingent. For Pablo Picasso, the  tragedy sparked a frenzied period of work in which he produced a  massive anti-war mural, aptly titled "Guernica." The painting is a powerful work of  historical documentation and political protest. But while Picasso’s artistic  motivations are clear, the symbolism of the painting can be as  confusing and chaotic as war itself. How can we make sense of this  overwhelming image, and what exactly makes it a  masterpiece of anti-war art? The painting’s monumental canvas is  disorienting from the start, rendered in the abstracted Cubist style  Picasso pioneered. Cubism deliberately emphasized the  two-dimensionality of the canvas by flattening the objects being painted. This afforded viewers multiple and often impossible perspectives  on the same object; a technique considered shocking  even in Picasso’s domestic scenes. But in this context, the style offers a profoundly  overwhelming view of violence, destruction, and casualties. Multiple perspectives only compound the horror on display– sending the eyes hurtling around the  frame in a futile hunt for peace. On the far left, a woman holding her  dead child releases a scream; her eyes sliding down her face  in the shape of tears and her head bending back unnaturally  to echo her baby’s. There is the statue of a soldier  present below, but he is unable to defend  the woman and child. Instead his broken body lies in pieces, his arm clutching a splintered sword  in a signal of utmost defeat. The tip of his sword meets a woman’s foot  as she attempts to flee the devastation. But her other leg appears  rooted to the spot, locked in the corner of the canvas  even as she stretches to move it. Another victim appears  behind this slouching figure. Falling helplessly as flames  lick around her, she too is caught in her  own hopeless scene. Each of these figures bordering the  painting are horribly trapped, giving the work an acute  sense of claustrophobia. And where you might expect the canvas’  massive size to counteract this feeling, its scale only highlights the nearly  life-sized atrocities on display. Some possible relief comes from a lamp held tightly by a ghostly woman  reaching out her window. But is her lantern’s hopeful glow  truly lighting the scene? Or is it the jagged lightbulb– thought to represent the technologies  of modern warfare– which illuminates her view of  the chaos below? From the coffin-like confines of her window, her arm guides the viewer back  into the fray, to perhaps the most controversial symbols of all– two ghostly animals caught  in the destruction. Does the screaming horse embody the threat of Franco’s military nationalism; or does the spike running through  its body convey its victimhood? Does the white bull represent Spain, the country of matadors and a common  theme in Picasso’s work– or does it stand for the  brutality of war? In this scene of strife, these animals  raise more questions than answers. And additional elements hidden  throughout the frame offer even more secrets for  close observers. At the top of the canvas flashes a bird  desperate to escape the carnage. And the abundance of animals on display  may hint at the bombing’s date– a market day which flooded the streets with villagers, animals, and  other potential causalities. Like the bombing of Guernica itself, Picasso’s painting is dense  with destruction. But hidden beneath this supposed chaos, are carefully crafted scenes and symbols, carrying out the painting’s multifaceted  attack on fascism. Decades after its creation, "Guernica" retains its power to shock  viewers and ignite debate, and is often referenced at anti-war  gatherings around the world. Hundreds of viewers have grappled with  its harsh imagery, shattering symbolism and complex political messaging. But even without a close understanding  of it’s complicated subtext, Picasso’s work remains a searing reminder  of the true casualties of violence.