Cubism (Contextual Studies)
Cubism is without a doubt one of the most talked about and studied areas of art history. Although the first Cubist exhibition wasn't held until 1911, there were a few artworks from around 1907 that hint towards Cubism. Picasso and Braque are widely regarded as the creators of Cubism, though Paul Cezanne paved the way for them with his Post Impressionist work, particularly in his use of space. The definition of Cubism has become rather complex, especially in retrospect. I like to define it as a distortion of time and space to create an idealist image of a particular subject. Of course, that's my own view and incredibly simplified. Cubism would go through many iterations and crossed over from not only paintings but to other mediums such as collage and sculpture as well.
Although Picasso (and to a lesser extent - Braque) is regarded as the father of Cubism, a lot of the original ideals and practices can be seen in earlier works. Most notably is the work of Paul Cezanne. The above painting, Mont Sainte-Victoire, painted in 1904-6 is one of Cezanne's landscapes. His colour choice and almost abstract brushstrokes are interesting enough, but it's his use of space which is indicative of Cubism. Cezanne almost bends the landscape to his vision. His shadows are intentionally inconsistent, and seem (in my eyes anyway) to suggest the passage of time. What this means is that the same subject has been shown to the audience in several different spaces and times, or different contexts if you will, creating a unique image of it's own.
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Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque would take Cezanne's initial idea and explored it in a new and more intensive way. Individually they researched the subject of form and shape, breaking down their subjects into various shapes and angles, looking at them from multiple angles. In addition to this, they almost subtracted colour, as if to prevent it from distracting from the form and shape of the subject. A lot of these earlier compositions are full of neutral tones and colours. Girl with a Mandolin from 1910 is one of my preferred pieces Picasso created during this time. It's an example of Picasso finding his footing with the idea and you can really see the idea of Cubism developing.
Nature morte au compotier is another example of Picasso's Cubism work from 1914. Much colourful than some of his attempts at the style, still sticking with neutral colours but somehow enhancing them and increasing the saturation and vibrancy of the image. During the early development of Cubism, both Picasso and Braque would work with collage. Though this is an oil painting, it's clear that Picasso was using what he'd learnt working with collage and was applying it to painting. In particular with his composition, certain subjects looking as though they have been sectioned and layered on top of each other. Continuing the theme of bending space, the image somehow manages to convey a depth, whilst at the same time maintaining a flat and almost smooth composition.
Georges Braque was a fellow artist alongside Picasso who was seeking to further develop Post Impressionism. Like Picasso, he was inspired in great part by Cezanne's work, in particular his approach on perspective and the management of space. Le Viaduc de L'Estaque from 1908 is one of my favourite landscape paintings Braque produced. He has adopted many of Cezanne's signature methods, simplifying shapes and fracturing space, as well as using sharp harsh shadow to create an outline to darker objects. What I find most intriguing about this work is how Braque has fractured the light in his composition. The use of directional strokes and overwhelming colour suggest a low burning sun, searing through the eye of the view. It gives the painting an incredibly warm feeling, and leaves a satisfied and familiar feeling when viewing.
Pitcher and Violin is from a little later, in 1910. Braque would move to experiment with still life along with landscapes. Both Picasso and Braque would often share subjects and as a result, there are many similar themes throughout their Cubist work. Stringed instruments are heavily featured, and are often an anchor of their compositions. What I mean by that is that in this image in particular, the Violin is the only item not abstracted beyond recognition, and gives the viewed a steady ground or reference point when viewing the image. Similar to Picasso's work, these still life images would tend to favour neutral and desaturated colours, focusing more on the fractured perspective of the composition.
Cubism is a rather extreme example of developing a theme to the point of near obsession. I truly believe that Picasso and Braque were only able to create these images because they pursued these themes and methods in a harsh and focused way. This drive, this passion, is what I feel pushed Cubism beyond a passing stop in art's history and making it a more iconic and memorable style of art. It explores the fourth dimension in ways previous art hadn't even considered, and really stretched what information could be translated onto the canvas.
Although Picasso (and to a lesser extent - Braque) is regarded as the father of Cubism, a lot of the original ideals and practices can be seen in earlier works. Most notably is the work of Paul Cezanne. The above painting, Mont Sainte-Victoire, painted in 1904-6 is one of Cezanne's landscapes. His colour choice and almost abstract brushstrokes are interesting enough, but it's his use of space which is indicative of Cubism. Cezanne almost bends the landscape to his vision. His shadows are intentionally inconsistent, and seem (in my eyes anyway) to suggest the passage of time. What this means is that the same subject has been shown to the audience in several different spaces and times, or different contexts if you will, creating a unique image of it's own.
Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque would take Cezanne's initial idea and explored it in a new and more intensive way. Individually they researched the subject of form and shape, breaking down their subjects into various shapes and angles, looking at them from multiple angles. In addition to this, they almost subtracted colour, as if to prevent it from distracting from the form and shape of the subject. A lot of these earlier compositions are full of neutral tones and colours. Girl with a Mandolin from 1910 is one of my preferred pieces Picasso created during this time. It's an example of Picasso finding his footing with the idea and you can really see the idea of Cubism developing.
Nature morte au compotier is another example of Picasso's Cubism work from 1914. Much colourful than some of his attempts at the style, still sticking with neutral colours but somehow enhancing them and increasing the saturation and vibrancy of the image. During the early development of Cubism, both Picasso and Braque would work with collage. Though this is an oil painting, it's clear that Picasso was using what he'd learnt working with collage and was applying it to painting. In particular with his composition, certain subjects looking as though they have been sectioned and layered on top of each other. Continuing the theme of bending space, the image somehow manages to convey a depth, whilst at the same time maintaining a flat and almost smooth composition.
Georges Braque was a fellow artist alongside Picasso who was seeking to further develop Post Impressionism. Like Picasso, he was inspired in great part by Cezanne's work, in particular his approach on perspective and the management of space. Le Viaduc de L'Estaque from 1908 is one of my favourite landscape paintings Braque produced. He has adopted many of Cezanne's signature methods, simplifying shapes and fracturing space, as well as using sharp harsh shadow to create an outline to darker objects. What I find most intriguing about this work is how Braque has fractured the light in his composition. The use of directional strokes and overwhelming colour suggest a low burning sun, searing through the eye of the view. It gives the painting an incredibly warm feeling, and leaves a satisfied and familiar feeling when viewing.
Pitcher and Violin is from a little later, in 1910. Braque would move to experiment with still life along with landscapes. Both Picasso and Braque would often share subjects and as a result, there are many similar themes throughout their Cubist work. Stringed instruments are heavily featured, and are often an anchor of their compositions. What I mean by that is that in this image in particular, the Violin is the only item not abstracted beyond recognition, and gives the viewed a steady ground or reference point when viewing the image. Similar to Picasso's work, these still life images would tend to favour neutral and desaturated colours, focusing more on the fractured perspective of the composition.
Cubism is a rather extreme example of developing a theme to the point of near obsession. I truly believe that Picasso and Braque were only able to create these images because they pursued these themes and methods in a harsh and focused way. This drive, this passion, is what I feel pushed Cubism beyond a passing stop in art's history and making it a more iconic and memorable style of art. It explores the fourth dimension in ways previous art hadn't even considered, and really stretched what information could be translated onto the canvas.
Practical Work
I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do with Cubism. It's not an easy one to approach. Especially considering that my options were limited do to certain circumstances. As a result of this issue, both of these pieces were done digitally.
This is one of the concepts I struggled with the most. The Cubism Collage. I didn't have a great understanding of the logic behind these. I could see the composition in the work of the original pieces, but I have no idea how they arrived at those conclusions or what there process was. As a result, I think my attempt is terrible. I tries to suggested a table with a vase on it, but... I think it just looks terrible. I tried to keep the lines loose, as if they really were hastily drawn on with pencil.
For this portrait, I used several similar images of myself from another topic, a portrait photography task. It worked out quite well for this attempt. I used three different images to composite this final version. I'm quite pleased with it. One of the images had very different lighting, but it's clear the form is the same, even through different angles. I'd like to learn more about this particular style of cubism and how exactly to approach it.
I love the Cubism style, but in truth, I don't understand a lot of it. The theory of it I do, but when it comes to how the artists created their compositions, I feel to be at a loss. The collage in particular left me confused. I don't know where the shaded and layered fractured shards came from, and why they're shaded the way they are.
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