Clint Lienau

Design project
Guernica by Pablo Picasso, 1937

I. Selective Visibility This aspect is not as much at play here, since the entire scene is visible.
Revelation of Form While not as evident as in more realistic paintings, the lighting in the painting
and subtle use of slightly darker shading gives dimension to the figures.
Focus The very clearly placed cone of light coming from the central lamp draws the eye immediately
to the running and fallen bodies, as well as to the person in the far corner, who has clearly been left in
shadow.
Mood The harsh lighting and stark difference between the light and shadow gives this painting a
sense of urgency, fear, and surprise
Location The area and shape of the light shows that this scene is clearly an indoor one
Time of Day The addition of the hand lamp as well as the obvious darkness in the areas outside the
cone of light suggest that this scene is taking place at night or in the early morning.
Plot The explosive shape of the light suggests that whatever is happening in the scene (a bombing, in
this case) is not happy.
Composition This aspect, like selective visibility, is not as evident in this drawing
II. Color Since this is a black and white painting originally, the color aspect does not play into
this picture
Intensity The intensity of the light coming from the window figure's hand lamp is very clear, and in
sharp contrast to the lack of light outside the cone.
Direction Since the light is coming from a small hand lamp, the cone traveling up and down is not
controlled, but is still very clearly defined
III. Pattern The chaotic element of the painting breaks away from any clear pattern
Texture Again, the very unrealistic makeup of the painting makes finding any sort of texture within
the painting difficult
Tone The stark separation of light and dark sets a very dark, surprised, and frantic tone to this piece
Volume The lighting reveals some hidden characters in the painting and shows that the very small
room is much more full than it appears