Question

1.How did Ben Shahn express his outrage about the Sacco and Vanzetti trial in this painting?

Answer 1

Ben Shahn was a Lithuanian born American artist. He is known for his works of social realism, his political views, and lectures.

Explanation:

• When Shahn was only four years old, his socialist father was exiled to Siberia because the Russian government suspected he was a revolutionary. Shahn remembered launching his own sort of protest as a child when he would shout “Down with the Czar!” at anyone wearing a uniform.

• Pablo Picasso strengthened the effect of suffering in Guernica by the use of black and white and gray paint. No colors are seen, much like after a real bombing when everything is covered in dust and ash. He also used the expressions of the people and animals to strengthen the effect.
• People on the canvas look about them with open mouths; they are either gasping or crying in pain. The horse is being run through with a javelin, and it is clearly in pain.