Abstract This paper examines the style, artists and impact of cubism, the most prominent art movement of the early 20th century. The paper discusses early influences on the development of cubism, including Paul Cezanne, Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. Next, the paper studies analytic cubism and critiques some of the style's most well-known paintings and sculptures. The paper concludes with an investigation of the passing of cubism and its legacy on the art world.
From the Paper "Cubism is the most influential art movement to emerge in the first quarter of the Twentieth Century. "It may have said to have begun in 197 with Pablo Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. The movement was influenced by archaic and primitive sculpture. Particularly of West Africa." (Alexander, p. 288) Another influence was Paul Cezanne, whose works were exhibited in Paris in 1905 and 1907. It was something he said that started some of the other Parisian artists moving toward Cubism. "You must see in nature the cylinder, the sphere, and the cone." He published this in 1907, but the actual term "cubism" may have come from Henri Matisse's phrase: "avec les petits cubes" (with little cubes). He said that in a disparaging way upon seeing some of the works of Georges Braque."
Abstract This paper explains that Cubism is the process of passage from a bar-baric dis-symmetry to an advanced abstract geometry. The paper then looks at how the the term analytical Cubism refers to Picasso and Braque's work of 1910 through early 1912 and how the term synthetic Cubism refers to their work of later 1912 through 1914. It also examines the objective contributions of Picasso and Braque to the development of modern art, particularly towards abstraction.
From the Paper "By 1909, Picasso, working in close collaboration with Georges Braque, had invented Cubism, a kind of painting more sculptural than any before, since it presented simultaneously more than one view of the subject. Indeed, Picasso had definitely renounced the traditional chia roscuro - the technique of evoking three-dimensional form by reproducing the way that incident light plays across it, producing a sequence of highlights and shadows. Picasso apparently considered chiaroscuro a "dishonest" way of representing three-dimensional form; he therefore turned to faceting as a means of describing three-dimensional form without using conventional shading. After the dematerialization of form in Impressionism, and the flattening of form in Post-Impres sionism, this restoration of a sense of sculptural solidity (without a return to conventional real ism) was a major achievement. "
Abstract This paper explains how Cubist painters and sculptors rejected many of the formally accepted elements of art in favor of ambiguous and indeterminate representations of art. The paper also describes the unique characteristics of Cubism and takes a look at the importance of the Cubist movement, its influence on modern art, the philosophy behind the movement, and some of the more famous Cubist artists.
From the Paper "Cubism was a philosophy and style of art that also questioned all established values of art. It also "created an artistic language of intentional ambiguity". (ibid) In order to understand Cubist sculpture beyond just its formal and technical innovations, it is important to understand something of the background to the modernist era of artistic re-evaluation."
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that Cubism as an art movement is considered one of the most revolutionary in art history. It was part of the modernist art movement during the Twentieth Century, which altered the principles of art that had been dominant for centuries. A central thesis or theme explored in this paper is that Cubism was much more than just another artistic style and that it heralded a new way of perceiving and understanding reality and the world. The writer maintains that in this sense Cubism was in essence a protest or a refusal to accept the norms and value that were prevalent at the time. The writer concludes that the Cubist movement as a form of artistic protest against the conventions of art also opened the way to other areas of artistic experimentation and creativity. The writer also maintains that in sculpture this led to many innovative works of art that explored the possibilities of alternative perceptions of space and depth and enriched the ways in which sculpture could be created and appreciated.
Outline:
Introduction
Cubism and Reality
Cubism and Modernism
Cubist Art and Sculpture
Conclusion
From the Paper "There was a general feeling among many thinkers and artists in the early years of the Twentieth Century that the views and ideas that were prominent in society were false and needed to be radically questioned. One example of this type of questioning was the opposition to the view that reality was fixed, static and obvious. In terms of art history this view of reality was known as representation. In other words, all that an artist was required to do was to copy or re-present what the eyes saw, which was already there in the outside world.
"This view was questioned by artists like Picasso and other modern artists. They were of the opinion that reality was relative or dependent on context and point of view. Reality therefore was not 'fixed' or static but was continually changing according to one's perspective or point of view. This questioning of the accepted views about reality was to have a great influence on the development of Cubism and other artistic movements in the Twentieth Century, such as Dadaism and Surrealism."
Abstract This paper explains that, in 1907, Georges Braque, who initially was greatly influenced by Henri Matisse, with his friend Pablo Picasso, rediscovered Paul Cezanne, the originator of the Cubist movement. Braque's style went through a radical transformation. The author points out that, within a three year period, Picasso and Braque invented Analytic Cubism, a new, completely non-illusionistic and non-imitative method of depicting the visual world; the collaboration between Braque and Picasso was so close and intense that often only experts can distinguish Braque's painting of 1910 -1912 from those of Picasso. The paper relates that Cubism, which survived in its purest form until the mid-1920s, had an impact on the art world that extended far beyond the existence of the painting style itself and paved the way for several other art revolutions, including Dada and surrealism.
From the Paper "From 1917 to 1920, Georges Braque's works are derived compositionally from Synthetic Cubism, which is the second phase of Cubism and began around 1914. These paintings were much flatter and more "variegated in color," and included "brightly dotted decorative passages." Sometime around 1930, Braque moved to the coast of Normandy in France, and as a result, the subject of this paintings changed, and now included bathers, beach scenes, and seascapes as his favorite themes, while stylistically, he "became increasingly interested in ornamentation and patterned surfaces." By the early 1940's, Braque was concerned with melancholy themes, and from 1945, birds became a dominant subject. And then by the 1950's, Braque had returned to the brilliant colors of the Fauve period, "as in the Louvre ceiling, 1952-53, and the decoration for the villa at Saint Paul-de-Vence, 1954." Georges Braque remained active until the end of his life, and his work includes sculpture, graphics, book illustration and decorative art."
Abstract This paper explains that Pablo Picasso helped develop both analytic cubism, which involved using brown colors and analyzing individual things based on their shapes, and synthetic cubism, which involved making a collage and the use of color. The author points out that, through symbols as clues, Picasso was able to leave the interpretation of the art to the viewer. The paper concludes that Picasso's unique style changed the world of art forever because incorporating different aspects of an object into the painting all at once was considered very revolutionary at the time and went against what had always been done.
From the Paper "In 1901, Picasso began signing his painting with simply "Picasso," which is the name that he is still known as to this day. This is when his "Blue Period" started, as he used sombre blue colors, since he lost a close friend around this time period due to a suicide. In 1904, Picasso moved to Paris for good and bought a studio there. This also marked the beginning of his "Rose Period," where he used more cheerful colors like red and orange. Many people think his happiness was brought about as a result of his relationship with Fernande Olivier, as well as his interaction with a different style of art in France. In 1906, Picasso made his first major sale to art dealer Ambroise Vollard for 2000 francs. Around this time, Picasso began to experiment with the style that would make him famous: Cubism. "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" is credited with being the first cubist painting on record. Picasso painted that in 1907 at the age of 26."
Tags: color, cubism, interpretation, revolutionary, period
Abstract The paper reveals that Pablo Picasso is recognized as the greatest artist of the twentieth century. The paper describes several of his works in the context of different periods of his painting style: the Blue Period, the Rose Period and the Analytical and Synthetic Cubism period.
Outline:
Picasso's "Girl Reading at a Table,1934"
Picasso's Blue World
Picasso In Love
Picasso's and Braque's Cubism
From the Paper "Pablo Picasso is recognized as the greatest artist of the twentieth century. Formally known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso, who was born in Malaga, Spain on October 25, 1881. Pablo Picasso lived a long life (92 years) in which he produced a wide and varies body of works, including the Blue Period, the Rose Period, and the Analytical and Synthetic Cubism period. While Picasso was mainly a painter, he also worked with undersized ceramic and bronze sculptures, and even developed some poetry. His paintings rank the most expensive through out the world. Picasso's "Garcon a la Pipe" painting was sold for approximately $104 million dollars, setting the new price record on paintings. Picasso was an incredibility talented artist who was able to work with oils, watercolors, pastels, charcoal, pencil, and ink."
Tags: painting, Blue, Rose, Analytical, Synthetic, Cubism, Braque, period
This essay looks at how Cubist art in general and "The Portuguese" by George Braque specifically drew from and expanded on the consciousness and experiences of the modern age of technology.
Abstract The writer examines the works of George Braque and shows how he was the lesser known of the two founders of Cubism, always in the shadow of Pablo Picasso. This essay examines the artistic foundations behind one of the earliest Cubist works of Braque, "The Portuguese", and explains the unique importance of this painting in its day and even now.
From the Paper "An examination of Georges Braque's The Portuguese, painted in 1911, and the Cubist movement created by Braque and Picasso, helps show how technology was first widely used both instinctively and deliberately by artists. The Portuguese is an oil on canvas work approximately four feet by three feet in size; the colors are monochromatic in tone, thus emphasizing structure over the gently shaded colors. The subject matter of the painting is not the external world or nature; the painting exists within a reality and world of its own. This alone was revolutionary. Like most Cubist art, it has a restricted setting and manmade objects predominate over natural ones (Hughes 16). In this phase of what was known as analytical cubism objects were taken apart (dissected) and reshaped with the use of flat intersecting planes; perspective is two-dimensional and depth is limited. Four hundred years of Renaissance traditions (form, color, and space) were thrown out by The Portuguese and other Cubist works. Instead of a single vantage point at a single moment in time, the viewer sees the painting from many angles and at many different moments; the fixed point of view is gone. The painting also includes stenciled letters and numbers. Braque wrote, ?...as part of a desire to to come as close as possible to a certain kind of reality, in 1911 I introduced letters into my paintings.? In summary then, the elements above make The Portuguese one of the first examples of a painting as a unique object set in a revolutionary form. The degree of abstraction in Cubist art was also revolutionary. This new perception of the world came at a time of great transformation in society, and this work of Braque, seen within the larger context of Cubism, borrows much from the elements of the new world. "
Abstract This is a brief analysis of Picasso work in the first half of the 20th Century. It looks at the progress of his work and what influenced them. From his time in Paris to his stint in Barcelona, this paper offers insight to the first half of Picasso's incredible career.
From the Paper "Pablo Picasso's literary friends, Guillaume Apollinaire and Alfred Jarry, influenced his work. These new acquaintances, whom he met in Paris after his return in 1904, influenced three, if not more, paints: Women in a Chemise (1905), Self-portrait (1906), and Ubu (1937). The Women in a Chemise and Ubu were attributed to the artistically written piece of both men, but Self-portrait might have been a response to a review, of Picasso, by Apollinaire. Picasso's association with these two gentlemen can be seen in some of his work."
Abstract This paper examines the growth of Pablo Picasso's art as a result of his romance relationship with Fernande Olivier. It illustrates Picasso's inspiration from Fernande to experiment with style, which brought him out of his blue period into his rose period and eventually into cubism. The paper claims that Fernande is responsible for influencing Picasso's mode of living and his way of painting.
From the Paper "Pablo Picasso was one of the key artists involved in the development of Cubism. During that same time period, he was involved with a young woman named Fernande Olivier, who also served as his model for several works, both paintings and sculpture. Their meeting can be considered fortuitous, for in some degree, the meeting helped change direction for Picasso in his work, though there were many other influences on the artist as well pushing him and associated artists in the direction of Cubism. Picasso's early years after settling in Paris permanently were marked by the influence of Fernande Olivier, his first mistress. Prior to Picasso living with this woman, his nude works were fewer and not as freely expressed. It seems that his exposure to a relationship such as this allowed Picasso to express his responsiveness to beauty. After meeting his first true love, Fernande, Picasso showed a significant change in the tone of his works. While she provided the impetus for much change, Fernande was never directly involved in Picasso's works except as occasional model and was seen by many of his friends as an obstacle to greater work on his part."
From the Paper "Cubism was one of the major transformations of Western art in this century and is seen as a revolutionary shift in thought and technique. The traditional distinction is between solid form and the space around it, but Cubism offers a different few with a radically new fusion of mass and void. Cubism allowed the artist to depart from preconceived notions of place and perspective which gave discrete objects an exact location and illusion of depth. Rather the artist could now create "an unstable structure of dismembered planes in indeterminate spatial positions" (Rosenblum 13). Thus the Cubist work of art was not simply a representation of a separate external, but considered "that the work of art was itself a reality that represented the very process by which nature is transformed into art (Rosenblum 13).
Apollinaire's definition of Cubism contains elements that could ..."
Abstract This paper considers the many influences on the career of Piet Mondrian, in particular theosophy, cubism, the Dutch tradition, Vincent van Gogh, neo-plasticism and his eventual move to New York.
From the Paper "Founded on an unprecedented concern with structure, unity and subtle geometry, Piet Mondrian's landscapes reveal the origins of what was to become the major preoccupation throughout his career ? universal beauty, and its abstract representation. It was a journey that would culminate in his remarkable last work Victory Boogie-Woogie, and a process which saw him grapple with Naturalistic Realism, Cubism, Symbolism (briefly) and finally Neo-Plasticism, also called the International Style, a movement he was to make his own. Mondrian's art is fascinating for the very reason it is also so hard to understand ? it was a completely new way of perceiving the relationship between the external world, inner feeling and the surface of the canvas. His abstraction was not just a move away from figurative, representational art, but a step towards transcendental purity."
Abstract The writer asks the question of why George Braque did not enjoy the same renown as Pablo Picasso. The paper looks at the history of the artistic life of Braque and gives an overview of his work, noting the maturation and development of style. The paper concludes with the assertion that Braque is the father of cubism because he created the first analytic work.
From the Paper "During the summer of 1908 in southern France, Braque painted a series of radically innovative canvases, of which the most celebrated is "Houses at L"Estaque?; in this painting we can see the slab volumes, sober coloring, and warped perspective typical of the first part of what has been called the analytical phase of Cubism. This painting was shown in a show at Kahnweiler's gallery. It provoked from the Paris critic Louis Vauxcelles a remark about "cubes" that soon blossomed into a stylistic label. This painting was the painting that gave cubism its name. Vauxcelles's remarked about the canvas being full of small cubes, and this comment was the spark that constituted the name of the movement."
This paper discusses the lives and works of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Diego Rivera, all masters but from different backgrounds and different training, who may have been influenced by one another.
Abstract This paper explains that Spaniard Pablo Picasso was basically a painter who extended his art to sculptures in ceramic and bronze; in the early 1900s, he created the visual style of Cubism, which concentrated on the two dimensional surface of pictures and did not honor the old techniques of perspective, foreshortening, modeling and chiaroscuro. The author points out that Frenchman Henri Matisse's "Large Red Interior" (1948), a painting of his studio, is a dynamic painting with an excellent relationship between line and color and probably his last statement on his life as an easel painter. The paper relates that the art of Mexican muralist Diego Rivera reflects the Mexican Civil War and the struggles of World War I; in France for 14 years, Rivera studied the works of Matisse, Paul Gauguin and Paul Cezanne and similar artists.
From the Paper "Now let us look at the education of the three masters, and Picasso attended many art schools during his childhood as his father taught there. He did not finish his course at any college and left his course in less than a year from the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid. Whereas Picasso was a Spaniard, Henri Matisse was born in France in 1869 at Cateau-Cambresis. His father was a seed merchant and Matisse did not get in touch with art in his early years. He decided to study law and gave up only when he was sick and took up arts as he had started painting during the period of his sickness. After changing colleges he finally enrolled at Ecole des Beaux. Even there he could not complete his course due to differences with the teachers."
