From 1935 events surrounding the Spanish Civil War and later, World War II propelled Picasso towards more public mediums and a fiercer political context for his works. In 1936 the Spanish Republican Government appointed Picasso to the highly regarded position as director of the Museo del Prado and requested he paint a mural for the Spanish pavilion at the Exposition Universelle in Paris the following year.

At this point Picasso produced Guernica (1937), which would become the second landmark painting of his career, as well as his strongest political statement. Guernica is a passionate allegorical condemnation and powerful analytical critique of fascism and war. The bull, a traditional Spanish emblem of conflict and tragedy, began to appear in paintings and etchings around this time and Picasso incorporated this forceful symbolism into the masterpiece. Guernica was returned to Spain from America in 1981, and it has been in residence at the Queen Sofia Centre of Art, in Madrid, since 1992.

Throughout the German invasion, and subsequent occupation of France in 1940 Picasso lived with Marie-Thérèse Walter in his Paris studio. Although under observation by German authorities, he continued to work producing art with skulls and death's heads depicting the solemn tone of the war years. Following liberation in 1944 Picasso moved freely between styles and mediums with astonishing skill. His paintings depicted images from his past as he experimented with acrobats, players and clowns.

The image of the Old Master began to appear in his works displaying a more private narrative in contrast to the explicitly political narrative of the previous decade. This period is one of intense personal emotional turmoil for Picasso following the breakdown of his relationships with Marie-Thérèse Walter, Dora Maar and Francoise Gilot. In 1957 Picasso met Jacqueline Rosque and married for the final time in 1961 following the death of Olga Koklova. Jacqueline would be his companion in southern France until his death at the age of 91 on April 8, 1973.

See Also:-

Picasso Formative Years
Picasso Blue Period
Picasso Rose Period
Picasso Cubism
Picasso Surrealism
Picasso Art Store
Picasso Chronology 1889-1900
Picasso Chronology 1901-1910
Picasso Chronology 1911-1920
Picasso Chronology 1921-1930
Picasso Chronology 1931-1940
Picasso Chronology 1941-1950
Picasso Chronology 1951-1960
Picasso Chronology 1961-1970
Picasso Chronology 1971-1973