Cubism
Cubism
Cubism
Pablo Picasso
Georges Braque
Cubism
Cubism was a truly revolutionary style
of modern art developed by Pablo
Picasso and Georges Braque. It was
the first style of abstract art which
evolved at the beginning of the 20th
century in response to a world that
was changing with unprecedented
speed. Cubism was an attempt by
artists to revitalize the tired traditions
of Western art which they believed
had run their course.
Cubism
Analytical Cubism
Analytical Cubism is one of the two
major branches of the artistic
movement of Cubism and was
developed between 1908 and 1912.
In contrast to Synthetic cubism,
Analytic cubists "analyzed" natural
forms and reduced the forms into
basic geometric parts on the two-
dimensional picture plane.
Analytical Cubism
Color was almost non-existent except
for the use of a monochromatic
scheme that often included grey, blue
and ochre. Instead of an emphasis on
color, Analytic cubists focused on
forms like the cylinder, sphere and the
cone to represent the natural world.
During this movement, the works
produced by Picasso and Braque
shared stylistic similarities.
Girl with Mandolin 1910
Portrait of Ambrose Vollard 1910
Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler 1910
Phases of Cubism
Around 1912, the styles of Picasso
and Braque were becoming
predictable. Their images had grown
so similar that their paintings of this
period are often difficult to tell apart.
Their work was increasingly abstract
and less recognizable as the subject
of their titles. Cubism was running out
of creative steam.
Phases of Cubism
In an attempt to revitalize the style and
pull it back from total abstraction,
Picasso began to glue printed images
from the 'real world' onto the surface
of his still lifes. His painting 'Still Life
with Chair Caning', was the first
example of this 'collage' technique and
it opened the door for himself and
other artists to the second phase of
the Cubist style: Synthetic Cubism.
Synthetic Cubism
Influenced by the introduction of bold and
simple collage shapes, Synthetic Cubism
moved away from the unified monochrome
surfaces of Analytic Cubism to a more direct,
colorful and decorative style. Although
synthetic cubist images appear more abstract
in their use of simplified forms, the other
elements of their composition are applied
quite traditionally. Interchanging lines, colors,
patterns and textures, that switch from
geometric to freehand, dark to light, positive
to negative and plain to patterned, advance
and recede in rhythms across the picture
plain.
Synthetic Cubism
Influenced by what he saw around
him, Picasso pasted various real-life
materials not normally associated with
each other, e.g. bits of paper, onto a
flat surface to create an arrangement.
He usually added drawn or painted
marks or images.
Synthetic Cubism
Real-life materials were thought to
better represent “reality” for making art
because they are closely connected to
daily life. Picasso and future artists
found the collage process liberating; it
suggests new and infinite possibilities
of what art can be. There is a sense
of compelling immediacy to collage.
Synthetic Cubism
Real pieces of paper replaced painted
flat depictions of paper. Real scores of
music replaced drawn musical
notation. Fragments of newspaper,
playing cards, cigarette packs, and
advertisements that were either real or
painted interacted on the flat plane of
the canvas as the artists tried to
achieve a total interpenetration of life
and art.
Au bon marche 1913
Three Musicians 1921
Still Life with Mandolin and Guitar 1924
In Summary…
Cubism was invented around 1907 in Paris
by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.
Cubism was the first abstract style of modern
art.
A Cubist painting ignores the traditions of
perspective drawing and shows you many
views of a subject at one time.
The Cubists introduced collage into painting.
The Cubists were influenced by art from other
cultures, particularly African masks.
There are two distinct phases of the Cubist
Style: Analytical Cubism (pre 1912) and
Synthetic Cubism (post 1912)
Quest!
Using your Cubist composition discuss the
following questions: Be specific and
thorough with your responses!
1. Describe the Cubist process.