Picture This

Art arouses feelings, evokes responses, brings back memories and raises debate.

- Gillian Welsh

If you were to take Pablo Picasso’s great masterpiece, Guernica – that vast oil painting completed in 1937, now in the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid – what would you say about it? It’s a simple question that’s difficult to answer, because each of us would have our own highly subjective response. You don’t have to like it. But you’ll certainly feel something when you look at it.

And that, in essence, is the beauty of art. It encourages us to think and to dig deep. It provokes argument and sparks discussion. It makes us question the world. Yes, it adorns our walls and our public spaces. Yes, it can entertain us. But even when it’s a serious business, it’s not just for academics. It’s for everyone.