On the top left hand corner of the painting, there is a hybrid of a one eyed bull and a horse. The Bull could be used to represent bull-fighting, which was very famous in Spain in that period of time. The horse could then be interpreted as war-animals as Horses were means of transport during 1937. This hybrid thus highlights the violence of the war as by mixing both the bull and horse together, it would show the violent nature of the animal and thus the violence of war.
Right below the hybrid animal is a woman grieving over a dead child in her arms. This highlights one of the main themes of the painting: futility of war. The woman in the picture is depicted to me very depressed and grief-stricken over the death of her child. War takes away many innocent lives, not only would it take away soldiers who brave themselves in war, the bombing in Guernica had separated the mother and child for life. This thus highlights the theme of futility of war as sinless and unsullied lives are taken away.
In the centre, a horse can be made out, but there are other, hidden images present too, including a human skull and another bull. The spear that has run through the horse and caused it so much pain creates a gaping wound that dominates much of the rest of the scene. It is also important to recognise that the action seems to be taking place in a room, at least on the left side, while a burning building is visible on the right. Picasso's intention appears to be to place this carnage both inside and outside, and to show how it brings man down to the level of beasts. The bull on the left is the crucial link between the human and animal aspects of war, as it stops to consider the pain of the grieving woman just as the other pull gores the horse.
The lightbulb in the sun, at the top of the painting, symbolises the hopelessness of man's attempt to appeal to God for help. Picasso is showing how God is simply another manmade items, like a lightbulb, and there is no promise of deliverance from the horrific scene that is unfolding. Meanwhile a woman seems to float through a window with a flame held up, but the look of horror on her face clearly shows that she was not prepared for the scene that she is now witnessing. Again, Picasso appears to be showing the lack of hope present in this scene. It is clear, overall, that the painting was completed when Picasso was at a low ebb, uncertain whether Spain would ever recover from the horrors of its war.
The right of the painting is perhaps the most conventional, featuring as it does a human figure wracked with pain and on fire. This is a less symbolic and more realistic portrayal of another part of the horrors of war, with flames surrounding the figure and, to the extreme right of the canvas, a dark door opening. There are different interpretations of this door. Some see it as the only hope for those trapped in the painting, as if they can still escape. Others see it as an ominous sign, a doorway to nothingness and a sign that Picasso believes the conflict will lead only to destruction. It is possible to see the door as both simultaneously, offering an equal chance of either oblivion or salvation. However, the bleakness of the view through the door suggests that Picasso sees it as a portal to doom.