Why is this painting so shocking?

In 1937, in one of the worst civilian casualties of the Spanish Civil War, Fascist forces bombed the village of Guernica in Northern Spain. For Pablo Picasso, the tragedy sparked a frenzied period of work in which he produced a massive anti-war mural, titled "Guernica." How can we make sense of this overwhelming image, and what makes it a masterpiece of anti-war art? Iseult Gillespie investigates.

Answer the following questions:

1. Describe some of the figures in the painting. Who are the humans and what are they doing?
2. What was Picasso protesting when he painted this scene? Is it still being used as an image of protest, and why do you think this is?
3. Do you think that Cubism, rather than more representative techniques, is an effective style for representing war in art? Why or why not?