Cubist Movement within Modernism
Pablo Picasso and George Braque
France, 1954 |
In 1907, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque founded the art movement known as Cubism. This style of painting revolutionised modern abstract art during the 20th century.
Pablo Picasso was a Spanish Painter who was born in the 19th Century. His talents were recognised at an early age for it realistic technique. During his adolescence his painting style changed drastically as he experimented with different theories, techniques and ideas. Picasso is best known for the founding of Cubism with Georges Barque. "Paintings are flat, sculptures are 3-dimensional. Why cannot paintings be made to see things from different directions?"Pablo Picasso
His dissatisfaction with the direction of his art led him to draw inspiration from French painter Paul Cezanne. Cezanne took simple forms and attempted to develop better ways of presenting them
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using colours and shapes to create a harmonious depiction. Picasso drew inspiration and unlike Cezanne he didn’t use the simplified shapes and sharp lines to add depth but to break down the subject into other geometric forms. Picasso wanted to construct an image rather than represent it, like his influence Paul Cenzanne. In a representation the artist takes what they see and paints it on canvas. Picasso reconstructs the subject with different segments that allow his viewers to see all angles of his subject. Picasso’s ideas and influences lead him to approach art in a new style now known as the Cubism movement.
Cubist paintings were not meant to be realistic or life-like in any way, instead they revolutionized conventional still life; landscape; and portrait paintings through their abstracted ideas and artworks.
Analytic Cubism is one of the two phases within Cubism and was developed between 1908 and 1912. The distinction between Synthetic Cubism and Analytic Cubism was that Analytic Cubists analyse the subjects form and re-constructs the subject with geometric shapes. Colour was almost absent from these paintings except for the use of dull colours. After looking at the subject from every possible angle a Cubist artist pieces together fragments from various viewpoints simultaneously on to one painting. The fractured, geometric forms; muted colours; and undefined edges of their subject are what characterizes Analytic Cubist artworks. Analytic Cubist artist made use of the basic geometric shapes: pyramids, cubes, spheres, cylinders, and cones to represent the natural world. Art critics originally used the term Cubism as an insult to their simplistic designs.
The brushwork in some Analytic Cubist paintings emphasized the contrast between the light and darker tones. This does not apply to all Analytic Cubist paintings as some used similar tones of colour to create a more unified surface on the painting.
Synthetic Cubism was the later phase within Cubism that looked at the experimental nature of collage. Synthetic Cubism was developed between 1912 and 1919, it was composed of different textures, surfaces, collage elements and a large variety of merged subject matter this is what characterises Synthetic Cubism. These new approaches to Cubism allow Cubist artist to reconstruct their subject differently through the Analytical and Synthetic cubist styles.
Many Cubist artists paint subjects relevant to their everyday world (natural or man-made). They focused their paintings on simple human subjects, landscapes and towns, however the dominating subject matter used in Cubist paintings was still-life. These subjects were also found to be used in many new styles of modernistic art movements however they have been constructed differently in each movement. Picasso used these subjects as his focus for his Cubism paintings.
Many artist followed the Cubist movement, influenced by the new style of painting the looked at the simplified geometric forms of everyday life. Some Cubist paintings are; Glass of Beer and Playing Cards by Juan Gris; Guernica by Pablo Picasso; Improvisation by Andrew Dasburg; and many others.
In modern society cubism is an accepted art form within the art community. Its initial criticism is no longer held in current individuals and the movement had a significant part in the development of artistic styles. The art works are highly valued especially from significant artists such as Pablo Picasso.
Cubist paintings were not meant to be realistic or life-like in any way, instead they revolutionized conventional still life; landscape; and portrait paintings through their abstracted ideas and artworks.
Analytic Cubism is one of the two phases within Cubism and was developed between 1908 and 1912. The distinction between Synthetic Cubism and Analytic Cubism was that Analytic Cubists analyse the subjects form and re-constructs the subject with geometric shapes. Colour was almost absent from these paintings except for the use of dull colours. After looking at the subject from every possible angle a Cubist artist pieces together fragments from various viewpoints simultaneously on to one painting. The fractured, geometric forms; muted colours; and undefined edges of their subject are what characterizes Analytic Cubist artworks. Analytic Cubist artist made use of the basic geometric shapes: pyramids, cubes, spheres, cylinders, and cones to represent the natural world. Art critics originally used the term Cubism as an insult to their simplistic designs.
The brushwork in some Analytic Cubist paintings emphasized the contrast between the light and darker tones. This does not apply to all Analytic Cubist paintings as some used similar tones of colour to create a more unified surface on the painting.
Synthetic Cubism was the later phase within Cubism that looked at the experimental nature of collage. Synthetic Cubism was developed between 1912 and 1919, it was composed of different textures, surfaces, collage elements and a large variety of merged subject matter this is what characterises Synthetic Cubism. These new approaches to Cubism allow Cubist artist to reconstruct their subject differently through the Analytical and Synthetic cubist styles.
Many Cubist artists paint subjects relevant to their everyday world (natural or man-made). They focused their paintings on simple human subjects, landscapes and towns, however the dominating subject matter used in Cubist paintings was still-life. These subjects were also found to be used in many new styles of modernistic art movements however they have been constructed differently in each movement. Picasso used these subjects as his focus for his Cubism paintings.
Many artist followed the Cubist movement, influenced by the new style of painting the looked at the simplified geometric forms of everyday life. Some Cubist paintings are; Glass of Beer and Playing Cards by Juan Gris; Guernica by Pablo Picasso; Improvisation by Andrew Dasburg; and many others.
In modern society cubism is an accepted art form within the art community. Its initial criticism is no longer held in current individuals and the movement had a significant part in the development of artistic styles. The art works are highly valued especially from significant artists such as Pablo Picasso.
Analytic CubismGirl with a Mandolin
Pablo Picasso (1818-1973) Date: 1910 Movement: Cubist Modernism Theme: Abracted Analytic Cubism Technique: Oil on Canvas |
Synthetic CubismHarlequin
Pablo Picasso (1818-1973) Date: 1915 Movement: Cubist Modernism Theme: Abracted Synthetic Cubism Technique: Oil on Canvas |