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.