Knight, Page and Monk

Pages

Pages are the most vivid characters in the picture in a color and contrasting concept. “Closest to all” to the viewer is a page in the right corner of the picture. It symbolizes not only the pent-up emotions of a person escorting a knight to war, but also the realization that he, carrying a spear with his actions, obliges the knight to move on. As a squire, he symbolizes the sorrow and feeling of helplessness of people who performed auxiliary functions in the army - mechanics, doctors, cooks and chauffeurs, helping others, always remained in the shadows during the fighting, despite the fact that they played not the last role in the battles, and risked their lives no less. A page holds the horse by the tail, which symbolizes a cross between an attempt to keep up with the knight and an attempt to suspend him. However, the face of the page does not even give a hint of fear - this is not a panic gesture, but a confident decision that seems to be the only true and correct one on the face of the page.

The second page (present only in the picture) looks to the right - not at the enemy, but at his own country. His gaze is filled with interest, which suggests that he may soon become a looter. It symbolizes the meanness, cunning and betrayal of many personalities, both medieval and modern, profiting from the war and poisoning their cities and countries with indifference to others, but not indifference to themselves. Secondly, his position plays an important role - to the left of the knight, therefore, he can also symbolize a deserter and a traitor, a man who cares only about himself and a morally decomposed person.

Knight

The knight has become a central figure not in importance, but in placement, the color and low contrast of his armor suggests that in modern wars, the most prominent figures are not soldiers, but politicians who send them to death like a gray mass of cannon fodder . Its form, far removed from the anthropomorphic one, is aimed at making people aware of how people see soldiers - when they begin to see "killing machines" and cease to perceive them as people. In addition, certain elements of the knight are aimed at the manifestation of his human essence - his frightened gaze from under his helmet is directed to the west, which means that he literally sees the enemy and realizes that he is worried about his future fate, and a shield that he cannot raise, says the knight is weak. Another important element - the mask in front of the knight - it is possible that she is worn as a symbol of the warrior "sowing death", but she only shows fear of the knight.

Horse

The horses in lithography and the painting are noticeably different in emotional color - in the lithography the horse is depicted tired, and in the painting - inspired. But despite this difference, both horses are old nags crushed by the weight of their own armor. They are a hint of modern military equipment, formidable in appearance, but unreliable and often dangerous for those who will use it.

Monk

The highest character in the composition is a monk . Humility can be seen on his face. Judging by his location in the composition, he not only is deep behind, but also controls all actions (or is an intermediary between the king and the performers). It is very unprofitable to show the king or other lord dominating over him - at the same time giving out his location and distance from what is happening, and also shows distrust of the lord, simply turning away and looking away from him. Whether he blessed the knight for war or gave orders is not known for certain, but it is clear that he did this with obvious reluctance and disapproval. A lowered look indicates shame and guilt, a desire, but not an opportunity to rectify the situation.

Background

The city in the background is more like children's cubes, which symbolizes the fact that priceless human lives are often sacrificed in wars. They are sacrificed in order to protect very dubious values, most often material ones. Despite the apparent simplicity, the artist managed to show a calm evening cloudless sky, on which, as if, the stars would light up soon. This atmosphere of calm shades even deeper what Picasso tried to show in this picture.

Pablo Picasso created the canvas and a series of lithographs in 1951, actively supporting anti-war propaganda. Despite the fact that in total this work is considered to be “Picasso's Late Work”, it is part of a special, post-war period. Next to the military “Guernica”, this work is characterized by unprecedented calm, and lithography has almost reached the ideal by the standards of Picasso - the maximum transfer of ideas through a minimum of lines. A little later, he achieved this in the "Pigeon of the World."

The task of this work is to show the price of any war, armed conflict and the conflict as a whole. As in many other paintings of the same time, the artist sets out to inform the world about those hopeless and inhuman frameworks of mankind thanks to which we sacrifice ourselves and our loved ones in order to make our enemies less and the wealth of those who survive will be more. This picture shows what we are forced to defend and defend - the medieval toys of medieval children playing medieval games. And some agree with this fate. Some do not share this decision, but obey. And all the rest are able to think only of themselves. No one can be offered any other options.

At the moment, the painting is in the Picasso Museum in Paris, which has more than 140 paintings. The lithographic matrix is ​​also in the private collection of the museum, however, its prints can be purchased at several auctions. Several other lithographs are known, however, they are exclusively intermediate (as is the case with a series of bulls), but their prints also go to many auctions.