Artists Use Pictures to Fight
by Jessica Knox
Art has a longstanding history as a forum for protest and has been used to express political views for centuries. From Jacques Callot’s Miseries of War series in 1632, to Picasso’s Guernica in 1937, we have seen art as a vehicle of protest. Artists today are still using their work as a tool to demonstrate their opinions of the current political regime’s around the world.
In 2003, the Polvo Art Studio in Chicago held an exhibition called, “Terrorist Art: Protesting War.” Columbia University in NYC also had a similar exhibition called, “Art Against War.” Both of these displays demonstrate today’s prevalent anti-war ambiance.
Art historian Patricia Failing said, "One reason (Picasso’s) Guernica is considered a treasure in terms of art history is that it seemed to provide a bridge between what was considered by some to be antithetical poles: the idea of making an effective political statement and an effective artistic statement at the same time. And this is certainly one of the achievements of the Guernica project; that it was a third space between those two antithetical poles."
Political art uses images ranging from serious and disturbing to humorous and witty. The mediums are varied, from the editorial cartoon, painting, collage, or mural. Art is a tool, a very useful weapon, if used correctly. History has shown that art is the best way to reach masses of people by invoking emotions and opening minds.
Images express feelings of not just the artists, but also the viewer. Rebellious art has proven to be necessary, revolutionary, and vital for society’s improvement.
An image of Christ crucified 
GI’s putting the America
on a 747 jet above George Flag into a spouting oil hole
W. Bush while Bush is praying.“Terrorist Art: Protesting War” exhibition.
“Art Against War” exhibition Chicago, 2003.
Guernica by Pablo Picasso
Picasso’s great mural is a symbolic painting showing the atrocities of war
