Picasso's Guernica

Two days ago, the tweet by my friend follower and followee, Steve Akins:

RT @perkable: Awesome 3D Exploration of Picasso's Guernica by Lena Gieseke http://cli.gs/3dPicas #Artwalk

caught my attention.  I have seen the original Guernica painting in Madrid twice before and indeed was impressed with the art, but to be honest, I was not very much moved by it. It was too abstract for my emotions to strongly kick in. 

A 3D version sounded interesting.  I clicked on the link and started to watch the video.  It starts with a global view of the painting in 2D.  The “camera” then moves closer just to reveal that the scene is in 3D.

The “camera” continues to move around the 3D rendered image, focusing on different parts of the 3D scene and rotating the point of view of the camera.  The close up views of different parts of the painting and the cubist style accentuate the images of what seemed to be dismembered body parts, thus expressing the violence of the war.  The music is sublime and helps in conveying the sad message.

There are a number of reasons why I write a post about it.  The video really touched me.  Even if I were presented with a static representation of the painting in 3D watching it on my own, it would not have been the same.  The path taken by the guided tour accompanied by the music seemed to help highlight the parts of the painting that are important for conveying the message.

So, this is an experience made possible by technology and the understanding of this medium by the video maker, Lena Gieseke.  Had the viewer, for example, been able to directly and physically interact with the camera, it might have been a disadvantage.  Being guided here accompanied by the musical melancholic rhythm was the key. It is similar to listening to others during a conversation and interacting with the information just in your brain. Yes, sometimes, letting others lead you is better.

The other aspect that comes to mind is the role of social media in enabling me to get this emotional experience.  YouTube helped in sharing the video with the world.  Twitter has enabled me to get the message that  Steve Akins sent to his followers- the same message that David Perkins sent to his followers (as of that night, I’m one of them).  This is a great blessing!

Comments

[David Perkins]

"... to be honest, I was not very much moved by it. It was too abstract for my emotions to strongly kick in."

I've not seen it in person, but I looked at in online as a still image. I found it interesting, but I really missed the artist's message until the camera began to zoom in and pan around. Very thankful for Lena Gieseke's rendition. Happy to share the find!

Cheers*

[Nahum Gershon]

Thanks, David, for the link you provided to Steve and for your comment. I am looking forward to a mutually exciting interchange of ideas and art.

[custom essays]

If you'll just observe some 3D movies, the picture qualities are great but the story itself is luck lusting.