Chris Cuthill writes:
I am fond of showing my students Picasso's Guernica, his response to an air raid by the German Luftwaffe on a Basque town in Northern Spain. The painting has become a timely and prophetic vision of the Second World War, and beyond its reflection of the violence imposed on Guernica, represents a loud warning against the monstrosities brought about by man's destructive war machine. The painting is now recognized as an international icon for peace. Because of Picasso, we have a better visual vocabulary for understanding war. As I look at Guernica I see a reflection of the God who suffers, who weeps. I am reminded that our history which includes Guernica, Rwanda, and Auschwitz is shared by a God who is affected by every act of evil. So, despite Picasso's self-declared autonomy from God, his art can reflect the redemptive-creative potential inherent in creatures made in God's image—the images of love, justice, creativity, and suffering. This is the surprise, and it reminds me that God's grace works its way through the cracks in unexpected places.
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