Photo/Illutration "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) must have been driven by a sense of urgency to paint "Guernica," the theme of which was the indiscriminate bombing of the titular town by German forces in 1937.

Picasso was living in Paris when he learned of this genocide committed in his native Spain. He started making sketches immediately and completed the work in about one month.

Included in its composition were a mother holding her dead child, a fallen soldier and a terrified horse. One could imagine hearing their screams.

The painting was initially exhibited at the Spanish pavilion of the 1937 Paris International Exposition.

In the sense that the showing alerted the world of the unconscionable inhumanity of the raid, it served as a "news bulletin" of sorts.

Today, we keep receiving updates of Russian atrocities in Ukraine.

From the outskirts of the capital city of Kyiv, an Asahi Shimbun correspondent reported on a bombed-out housing complex. An attached photo showed a children's slide, reminiscent of normal, everyday life that went on there until just a short time ago.

It is feared that many residents were buried alive under the rubble.

From the bombing of a hospital to a massacre of civilians, every scene of carnage we are shown is simply beyond belief.

"War crimes" are suspected, but I feel the expression is too tame. In this war, its horrors are not so much "crimes being committed in war."

It is evil itself.

The International Criminal Court has launched investigations, and the chief prosecutor has reportedly arrived in the suburban Kyiv town of Bucha.

The team will collect evidence to confirm the criminality of the acts to prosecute the parties responsible and demand their extradition.

This may appear as a roundabout process, but it will definitely exert great pressure on Russia.

Picasso spoke little about the intended message of "Guernica," apparently believing the painting to be self-explanatory.

We must never avert our eyes from the war in Ukraine, no matter how unbearably shocking the reality may be.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 15

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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