The original "Guernica," an anti-war painting by Pablo Picasso

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- An artist is covering up part of his mural at the Oregon School for the Deaf because some have complained that one section based on Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" is too violent for children.
Retired art teacher John Roy Wilson spent the summer painting the outdoor mural. His aim was to inspire students. He says the controversy and the decision to make him cover some of the painting has been a good learning experience for him and he suspects it will be a teachable moment for the kids as well.
School director Patti Togioka told the Statesman Journal that she thinks the mural is beautiful, but she couldn't ignore the complaints from parents.
"As a leader, I want to respect the feelings of the parent," Togioka said.
She hopes Wilson will recreate the controversial section with high school students in their section of the school.
Administrators had requested a mural for a much-used alley to honor school graduates who have gone on to higher education.
Wilson created four panels. One shows Don Quixote following his dream. Another shows Picasso's famous anti-war painting. On top are two hands inspired by Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. Wilson left the final panel to be completed with students this fall.
During the past several weeks, Wilson met with a father who he said had protested "swords, daggers, severed heads ... a living nightmare for children" in the "Guernica" panel. In response, Wilson painted over a bare breast and modified a decapitated head and arm, but that wasn't enough.
Laura Mack, an art instructor at Chemeketa Community College, spoke up for keeping the mural as is. She said she had seen photos of the work in progress because Wilson is taking her painting class.
"It's not a realistic mural that shows blood and guts and gore," she said. "It's a still image. Though it's dark in content, I do not feel it's brutal. It does convey the reality of war, but does it in a way that is quite different from what we are used to seeing in our visual culture."
She noted that young children watch movies like "Bambi," in which a character dies. "These realities are known by children of that age," she said.
Peter Bergel, director of Oregon PeaceWorks, noted that Wilson's mural fits with a monthlong project to imagine peace through the arts.
"If we limit what our children see and citizens see to the blandest and least offensive, our public discourse and public life will be hedged by blandness and mediocrity," he said