The Cubist Artists
JUAN GRIS (1887-1927)
'Violin and Glass', 1915 (oil on canvas)
Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque conceived and developed Cubism but
other artists also adopted the style. The Spanish artist Juan Gris, who is
often referred to as the 'Third Musketeer of Cubism', was the best of these
and he refined the Cubist vocabulary into his own instantly recognizable
visual language. Other notable artists associated with Cubism were Fernand
Leger, Robert Delaunay, Albert Gleizes, Jean Metzinger, Louis Marcoussis,
Marie Laurencin and Roger de La Fresnaye.
The Influence of African Art
LEFT: Pablo Picasso, 'Head of a Woman', 1907 (oil on canvas)
RIGHT: Dan Mask from West Africa
The Cubists believed that the traditions of Western art had become
exhausted and another remedy they applied to revitalize their work was to
draw on the expressive energy of art from other cultures, especially African
art. However, they were not interested in the true spiritual or social
symbolism of these cultural objects, but valued them superficially for their
expressive style. They viewed them as subversive elements that could be
used to attack and subsequently refresh the tired tradition of Western art.
This inspiration to cross-reference art from different cultures probably came
from Paul Gauguin, the French post-impressionist artist, whose paintings and
prints were influenced by the native culture of Tahiti and the Marquesas
Islands where he spent his final years.
Analytical Cubism (1907-1912)
GEORGES BRAQUE (1882-1963)
'Violin and Jug', 1910 (oil on canvas)
Cubism had two distinct phases. The early phase which lasted until about
1912 was called Analytical Cubism. Here the artist analyzed the subject
from many different viewpoints and reconstructed it within a geometric
framework, the overall effect of which was to create an image that evoked a
sense of the subject. These fragmented images were unified by the use of a
subdued and limited palette of colours.
Synthetic Cubism (1912
onwards)
PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
'Still Life with Chair Caning', 1912 (oil on canvas)
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. In an attempt to revitalise 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.
PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
'Still Life with mandolin and Guitar', 1924 (oil on canvas)
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, colours, 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.
Beyond Cubism
UMBERTO BOCCIONI (1882-1916)
'Dynamism of a Soccer Player', 1913 (oil on canvas)
Cubism was born in France but emigrated across Europe and integrated with
the artistic consciousness of several countries. It emerged as Futurism in
Italy (illustrated above), Vorticism in England, Suprematism and
Constructivism in Russia, and Expressionism in Germany. It also
influenced several of the major design and architectural styles of the 20th
century and prevails to this day as mode of expression in the language of
art.
Cubism Notes
PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
'Weeping Woman', 1937 (oil on canvas)
• 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)
Cubism influenced many other styles of modern art including Orphism,
Futurism, Vorticism, Suprematism, Constructivism and Expressionism.
