Behind the Art: Picasso’s ‘Massacre in Korea’: A Powerful Critique of American Involvement in the Korean War

From 1950 to 1953, North Korea and South Korea fought in what is also known as the Korean War. After fighting along the border and rebellions in South Korea, North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. China and the Soviet Union provided support for North Korea, while the United States and allied nations provided support for South Korea. On July 27, 1953, the fighting came to an end with an armistice. Art historians are well aware of how much Picasso was exposed to the effects of war throughout his life. As a result, he incorporated messages of anti-war and peace in his paintings such as Guernica in 1937. He often claimed that his artwork was a ‘journal’ that documented the conflicts of his era as well as his personal life. The Second World War was a major era of change and Picasso lived in occupied Paris during this time. He committed himself to making political statements through his art after the liberation of France from the Nazis. The Spanish artist joined the French Communist Party in 1944 and painted “Massacre in Korea” in 1951 during the Korean War. The party blamed the United States for the war, which began when North Korea invaded South Korea with support from the Soviet Union.

What does the painting showcase?

Picasso was heavily influenced by Goya’s The Third of May 1808 and decided to paint The Massacre of Korea in a similar fashion. The canvas is set apart by a bifurcated piece, partitioned into two particular parts. A mass grave with a group of naked women and children can be seen to the left. To the right, several heavily armed “knights” are standing with “gigantic limbs and hard muscles similar to those of prehistoric giants” despite being naked. Like in Goya, the firing squad stands firm. However, as Picasso frequently depicted armoured soldiers in drawings and lithographs, the group in Picasso’s depiction is disorganised, which could be interpreted as a mockery of war’s absurdity.

Their helmets are misshapen, and their weapons are a mishmash of medieval and modern weapons of aggression; they are not quite guns or lances, but they may most closely resemble candlesticks. Additionally, none of them possesses penises. The pregnant women on the left side of the panel highlight this representational feature. Many critics have concluded that the soldiers, acting in their capacity as murderers, have castrated themselves and deprived the world of the next generation of human life by substituting guns for their penises.

Why was the painting so controversial?

Despite the popularity of Picasso and his artworks, this painting stirred up controversy globally due to the message in the painting – the Americans are to be blamed. Until 1980, the painting was virtually banned in the United States during the Cold War. The work of art was seen as a ‘taboo’ in South Korea, which is technically still not on good terms with North Korea. According to art historians, the response towards Picasso’s work was cold as The French Communist Party was dissatisfied because it was unclear who was behind the massacre depicted in the artwork. Meanwhile, the US faulted the painting for being communist propaganda and misleading publicity that blames the US for being the primary guilty party of the conflict. Picasso addressed this in the 1972 book “Picasso on Art: A Selection of Views” and said, “To call up the face of war I have never thought of any particular trait, only that of monstrosity. Still less of the helmet or uniform of the American or any other army. I have nothing against the Americans. I am on the side of men, of all men.”

In 1951, the painting was not well received when it was first seen. The work was criticised for being “too easy, too readable for contemporaries of the artist. Apart from the message of the artwork, what was more ambiguous for the world was the elements showcased in it. The victims’ faces and backgrounds are neither particularly East Asian nor Korean. In fact, Picasso had never been to Korea, and the country’s landscape seems to have little interest to him. Even the uniforms of the soldiers are influenced by medieval and ancient European warriors.

Regardless of the controversy surrounding it, it still garners the attention of art lovers and historians to date. However, there is no denying that Picasso’s Guernica takes precedence over the Korean Massacre painting in cultural consciousness and is frequently overlooked. Compared to the earlier, more well-known work’s fragmented symbolism, its visual storytelling is more literal and is a prime example of how strongly Picasso felt towards war and peace.

Next up in Behind the Art: The Story Behind Édouard Manet’s first-ever maritime painting ‘The Battle of the Kearsage and the Alabama,1864’

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