“Guernica”: When Painting Cries Without Color – A Look Back at the Team France Landmark Conference

Last weekend, the majestic CastleBois-la-Croix became the setting for a landmark event. Philippe had the honor of giving a captivating conference there on the timeless and tragically relevant theme: Picasso – Guernica.

Art Beyond Aesthetics: A Necessary Cry

We chose to approach this monumental work from a novel perspective: «When painting cries without color.» The goal was to discuss the power of art when it ceases to be merely beautiful to become necessary.

At the heart of our argument was this essential question:

«What if art ceased to be beautiful to become necessary?»

Through Guernica, we explored how Picasso managed to transcend the suffering of a people to turn it into a universal language. The conference invited the audience on a true pictorial journey: from the great heroic canvases of the 19th century to the Cubist explosion, right up to that pictorial scream in black and white which forever changed our perspective on war.

From Shadow to Light: The Role of the Artist

We also made a point of recalling the artist’s vision of his mission, by quoting this emblematic sentence by Picasso:

«There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot. But there are others who, thanks to their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.»

Unfortunately, the message of Guernica remains chillingly relevant. The violence inflicted on civilians and senseless destruction—from Ex-Yugoslavia to Ukraine and the Middle East—remind us that Picasso’s cry has never been silenced. That is why today’s artists – photographers, illustrators, journalists, or painters – tirelessly continue to search for the words and images to tell the unspeakable.

A Big Thank You to Our Partners!

We extend our warmest thanks to shootfilms.tv for their presence and professionalism. The entire conference was filmed by their teams. Being documented by professionals constantly encourages us to raise our standards and offer you the best of our expertise!

Our burgeoning friendship with shootfilms.tv and its president, Mr. Romuald Riffaud, is particularly dear to us. It is thanks to such partnerships that we can continue to make art and culture shine.

Stay tuned! We will keep you updated on the release of the conference video.

Natascha – Schweizer Team