The visual arts have existed for many centuries. In fact, these arts date back to the dawn of civilization. They date back to the Paleolithic era, when artists used cave paintings to express the feelings and emotions of the people of that era. These eye-pleasing works of art have been used in different ways throughout history. Art has been used to portray and surface negative feelings towards war and other forms of political violence. The tactic of influencing people through art has become very popular in recent times, especially when it comes to the topic of war. The opinions of other citizens in the United States and other countries around the world have become heavily dependent on the visual arts, such as propaganda. Visual arts make people feel anxiety and anguish, rather than relief against wars and other political violence. Many times, when people see a work of art, they see a well-painted painting or a beautiful photograph. This mentality is not how artists see themselves and their work. Artists don't create their art just for mere decoration, many artists use political and social issues to inspire their paintings and images. “Art can vividly reflect society's views and concerns; the artwork is also often considered a political forum. Artists often include political or social issues as elements in their work.” (Bagtas)Pablo Picasso had a great impact, as a painter, on people's opinions. Many of his paintings have been the basis of opinions and criticism all over the world. During the Spanish Civil War, a town was bombed by opposing forces. These forces wiped out a small town, one of the oldest in the Basque province, called Guernica (Fred 27). Picasso felt that what had been done to Guernica was written... middle of paper... NARA. Network. 29 November 2011. www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers_of_persuasion/it's_a_womans_war_too/its_a_woman s_war_too.html>.Picasso, Pablo Guernica. 1937. The Reader. Lafeyette: Pearson Education, 2009. 428-29.Print.Picasso, Pablo. "Guernica - Pablo Picasso - WikiPaintings.org." WikiPaintings.org - the Encyclopedia of Painting. Wikipaintigs. Network. November 29, 2011. .Scott, Jill. “Photography and Forgiveness.” Queen's Quarterly 113.4 (2006): 606+. Academic OneFile. Network. November 15, 2011. Shahn, Ben. “Powers of Persuasion.” The National Archives and Records Administration. Network. 29 November 2011. "War history". Indianapolis Monthly 28.7 (2005): 55. MasterFILE Premier. Network. November 8. 2011.