GUERNICA--THE ENIGMA OF HITLER

Guernica makes us sensitive to the outcome of war and
the price that is paid: blood, sweat, fear, pain, misery, death.
The painting is very creative in many ways. One being the use of only colors ranging from black to white. By taking out all other colors, our minds are forced to imagine what awful colors would create that scene. The lack of color is dehumanizing, but so is war.

Guernica taps into various strategies to convey what people then and now feel. The piece is large, but the size comes through its length. The width is short, cramming in so much which expands the chaos. The distorted screams and use of shapes displays the horror. This, too, could be a reaction to the many terrorist acts occurring all over the world. Last October, I, for the the first time, was caught in between a first and second hand live horror experience. I woke up in the middle of the night to a text from a friend wishing me and my family safety and updates from my dad, a firefighter. It felt surreal. My pain and shock were immense. I can't imagine what it was like for those whose who were there, those who were killed, and for their families. Although it wasn't an entire city, Guernica portrays the Las Vegas shooting and the pain we feel because of that night. 

Guernica and "The Enigma of Hitler" have an interesting connection beyond solely being based on gruesome historical events. The pain felt in both the Holocaust and Guernica were both caused by the government of Germany, one attack being on another country and the other being an attack on the people within itself both within the same time period. The painting, "The Enigma of Hitler" by Salvador Dali created only two years later, makes us sensitive to lack of control through: a dictator (whether a political figure or otherwise), being naive, poverty, your DNA not being worthy, and for that- death. It is very creative; Dali painted a surreal collection of images except for the "photo" of Hitler in the middle. Although everything around him is almost melting/ breaking/ crashing, he remains a steady force of power and influence. This piece reminds me of the pain that was felt because of the bombing of Guernica if not worse. 

The painting has a lot of symbolism from the tree of life breaking to the plate amplifying Hitler's words (http://yuguangzhang.com/blog/the-enigma-of-hitler-salvador-dali/). The piece's use of gloomy colors and easy flowing shapes mess with our heads to project the horror that was brought on in the 1930s-40s and even today. The colors are those of mourning and the shapes are a false reminder that when things are falling apart, we don't have any control. The piece suffocates your freedom, showing you the tiniest glimpse of what it was like. Just like Guernica and the Las Vegas shooting, this widespread terror is not over, it occurs around us everyday. Type into Google "current terrorist attacks." In .47 seconds, it gave me 22,200,000 results and if you add "US" in even less time pops up 54,000,000 more results totaling in 76.2 million. From local stabbings to bombings to shootings to drunk driving accidents, so much pain, gloom, death and heartache can be caused by one person, like Hitler or even a stranger we pass on the street. This painting projects the gloom, despair, and disturbing feelings we have towards the Holocaust and the events that still occur today.

*A few grammatical and other corrections were included in the typed version of the written assignment as well as some additional insights

The Enigma of Hitler by Salvador Dali: