Horse Head. Sketch for "Guernica" 1937

This is Pablo Picasso’s "Horse Head. Sketch for 'Guernica'", made with oil on canvas. Picasso, a master of twentieth-century art, grounded his practice in fundamental materials and processes. Here, the canvas provides a textured ground for the thick application of paint, each brushstroke contributing to the emotional intensity of the image. The monochromatic palette concentrates our attention on the form itself. The expressive power of this sketch comes from the immediacy of the artist's hand, each stroke building depth and texture. Picasso’s bold use of oil paint captures the anguish of the horse, a central figure in his depiction of the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. Considering the work involved in the production process, from stretching the canvas to layering the paint, allows us to appreciate the artist’s ability to transform simple materials into a powerful statement. This piece challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft, as the materiality of the work is essential to its meaning.