Generating Inquiry

My inquiry began not with a painting but with a messy, unanswerable question: "Does subversive art create social, political, and environmental reform?" My methodology paper and annotated bibliography show how I tested that broad question against actual sources, realizing quickly that no single article could answer it. That's when my inquiry evolved into a narrower directive. I stopped asking about all subversive art and started asking about one painting, one emotion, one audience. This transformation is evident in reviewing my works cited artifact in comparison to my annotated bibliography then my research proposal. My inquiry evolved throughout the whole process. Even the image of Picasso's Guernica acts as an artifact and presents evidence of inquiry, looking at it repeatedly, I began to ask not, "what does this mean?" but "how does this actually make someone feel?" 

Within the painting, the dynamics of symbolism are so complex and yet the takeaway message so simply. What does the horse mean? the bull? the sword? etc. I had to dive into these observations to really understand the inquiry I was to make. What questions to ask and, like in my survey artifact, how to ask them? 

This was thusly important as proper interpretation was essential for effective and accurate results.

There’s one thing that I wish that I could do for my research, and that is to provide an actual-size version of the painting, as that could potentially play into the emotional impact versus seeing the image downsized onto a piece of paper. After all was that Picasso's intent?

All of these questions and more helps guide my path in discerning appropriate data.