Erin

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=__Art as Protest__=

__Pablo Picasso 1973__
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Contents
1 What is protest art 2 Why art 3 Art challenging stereotypes 4 Guernica 5 The message behind the paint 6 Graffiti 7 Banksy 8 Bibliography



What is protest Art?
Protest art is banners,signs or any creative media that shows a message. Protest art has been used by many different people in many different countries for hundreds of years. However protest art has become most used in the last 30 years as protesters have learned that a non-violent resistance is their most powerful weapon in court and in the media.



Why art?
Art is an effective means of protest because it uses bright colours, symbols, images and lettering to get a message across. This means that it is visible, understandable and effectave even from a distance. Also things like billboards are very easy ways of getting a message across without the protester having to stand there and tell people what they are protesting about. Protest art is often used alongside other forms of protest such as marches and sit-in's for impact.



Art challenging stereotypes.
In the late 1960's Feminist artists began using different media's (those not considered fine arts) to show women and people of colour doing things that were stereotypicaly male to protest about peoples opinions on what women could do.



Guernica
In 1937 during the spanish civilwar Pablo Picasso was asked by th Popular Front to create an art work for the Spanish Pavilion at the Paris International Exhibition which was to open in July. Picasso excepted and planned to do a work showing an artist in his studio. On the 26th April 1937 Nazi bombers, acting as allies with the Spanish Facists, destroyed the town of Guernica in the North- East, Basque region of spain. This atrocity gave Picasso a new idea for his painting. Picasso completed his 8 metre long painting in little over a month. This painting was Picasso's way of protesting about how horrific and devastating he felt all war was. Picasso said "In Guernica I have clearly expressed my horror of the military caste that has plunged Spain into an ocean of suffering and death." He also described what was happening with the metaphor- a cat playing with a bleeding bird.

The message behind the paint
Guernica was painted in tones of grey, black and white, inspired by the warscapes of the spanish artist Francisco de Goya, the canvases of the french artist Jaques Louis David and the photos of the town he saw in the daily news paper, intened to create a scene dominated by struggle and death. Picasso uses the bull and the horse because they are traditionaly part of the spanish bullfight to symbolise the spanish victims. All the images are distorted and are screaming in fear and pain except for the dead baby in its mothers arms.

During the Nazi occupation of Paris, German ambassador Abetz visited Picasso. When he saw Guernica he aked "did you do this?" To this Picasso replyed "No, you did."





Graffiti
In some cases graffiti is used as protest art. Some people feel that they are protesting against the authorities by graffiting public/ private places. Many people also believe that this is a lame excuse for vandalism.



Banksy
Banksy is a famous british stencil-graffiti artist. He usualy uses his art to protest against popular opinions and ideas but has also done

[[image:banksy.jpg width="242" height="260" align="right" caption="Banksy art protesting against the iraq war"]]
some protest art against war and other political issues.

The above pictures are examples of protest art by Banksy, these were done on and to protest against the palistine wall.  Bibliography: [|www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/protest_art] [|www.creativeandlive.com/archives/2008/02/28/Art-and-protest-art] [|www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/protest_art] [|www.conversationagent.com/2008/01/ballsy_protest] Creative Lives Pablo Picasso by Jeremy Wallis Masters Of Art PABLO PICASSO by Stefano Loria

Special thanks to Ms Hardaker, Becca, Mini, Mum and Mrs Wockner