Cubism

Cubism

Cubism was a short but sweet experimental movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque during the early 20th century before the First World War. It was to coincide with the birth of abstract art and expressionism that was also going on during the time. Picasso and Braque worked so closely together, under the same roof, that the following two paintings are so similar you could get them mixed up.

Georges Braque, La Guitare

Pablo Picasso, Girl with a Mandolin

 

 These two painting are perfect examples of analytical Cubism where the perspective of a scene such as a still life or portrait has been distorted and fragmented. The different angles of view are simply merged in one. The colour is a lot softer and toned down in these painting and I think this works really well as there is not only a conceptual element to Cubism but also a harmonious, natural one.

Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2

 Although not directly associated with Braque and Picasso, like Gris might have been, Duchamp knew other artists connected with Cubism like Francis Picabia and Guillaume Apollinaire, who was a friend of Picasso’s. This painting, Nude descending a staircase, has some interesting angular rhythmic aspects that connect it to Futurism and Dadaism.

Leger is a great example of synthetic Cubism, which came after analytical Cubism. This development focused more on the abstract and geometric forms and used brighter colours. Leger’s painting ‘Man and Woman’ painted in 1921 is often labelled as Tubism for being so Tubular. It is a perfect representation of how synthetic Cubism is viewed.

Leger, Man and Woman

Cubism came and went quite quickly and this was due to the First World War. War was very disruptive and after, new technological advances such as acrylic paint and the Abstract art movement would have over-shadowed further evolution of Cubism.  It is also important to note that movements like these would have been a response to photography as there was less demand for realism in painting.

Personal Study

Following my research into Cubism I set out to create my own Cubist sketch. This is a self-portrait in the style of analytical Cubism. I’ve used my knowledge of perspective distortion and angular geometric shapes to and soft tones to create my artwork. This sketch gave me valuable insight into how this might be turned into a more complex Cubist painting or sculpture.