Paul Cezanne’s work at the Salon d’Automne in 1907 served as a great inspiration for Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque to begin the art movement of Cubism. Cezanne used simplified and abstract forms in order to depict his subjects, instead of the naturalistic presentation as was the practice of European Renaissance. Several non-western art also influenced Picasso: Spain’s Iberian art, Matisse’s African-influenced works and the works at the Trocadero anthropological museum.
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What is Cubism?
Cubism was a revolution in art that began in the 20th century.. The first breakthrough into the land of Cubism was led Picasso’s proto Cubist work of 1907, titled Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. The thoroughly distorted figures, the fragmented and geometric planes, and the sombre palette all indicate the key characteristics of Cubism. The movement opened the gateway to innumerable possibilities for treatment of visual art and the commencement of later abstract styles like constructivism and neo-plasticism.
Upon coming across some of Georges Braque’s paintings exhibited in Paris, 1908, Louis Vauxcelles referred to them with considerable derision. He described them as reducing everything to “geometric outlines, to cubes”. The French art critic, Guillame Apollinaire, coined the term Cubism, possibly influenced Vauxcelles’s comment.
The movement of Cubism portrays the various viewpoints of an object at the same time, which is achieved breaking it down into distinct areas. The background and front were brought together, without giving priority to anyone. Instead of increasing the illusion of real depth and space, the technique emphasized the flatness of the canvas through its two-dimensional approach.
Cubism, therefore, was a bold break from the European tradition that was based on imitating real space and volume through use of devices like linear perspective.
In the words of Jacques Lipchitz, Cubism is a “point of view”. It is like “standing at a certain point on a mountain and looking around”: things will look different as one goes higher or lower. The Cubist artists depicted various angles of the objects simultaneously. Figuratively, the objects were broken down, analysed and then, rearranged in an abstracted form that veered away from absolute realism. This produced detailed perspectives within a geometric framework and subsequently presented fragmented depiction.
People came across Cubism through Braque’s exhibition at Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler’s gallery in 1908. Inspired Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Braque created a series of landscape paintings in 1908, such as the famous Houses at L’Estaque, where nature was presented as cubes and pyramids that resembled architectural forms.
Concepts and Characteristics of Cubism
Like every movement in history, Cubism also went through its trends and changes. Each of its stages and each of its styles are of immense importance.
The Cubism of Picasso and Braque
The commencement and development of Cubism owes to the collaboration between Picasso and Braque which began in 1909. Their progress together did not last beyond the First World War. However, each returned to Cubist forms throughout their careers and some exhibitions were also put up till 1925.
Salon or Section d’Or Cubism
A group of artists showcased their works at public exhibits, like the Salon d’Automne, and thus came to be known as the Salon Cubists. Through these artists, the Cubist movement became more widely known in the early 1910s. The group included reputable names like Robert Delaunay, Albert Gleizes, Fernand Léger, Juan Gris, Henri Le Fauconnier, Robert de La Fresnaye and Jean Metzinger. Although they did not work in close association with the pioneers Picasso and Braque, the Salon Cubists were heavily inspired from them.
Analytical Cubism
The Analytical phase of Cubism was based on close observation of objects with respect to the context of their background. They were portrayed from various vantage points. Picasso and Braque restricted their subject matter to the traditional types of portraiture. They were limited to plate soil shades.There were subdued blacks, greys and ochres in order to lessen the clarity among the geometric planes and lines of the objects. Famous artworks in the analytic style include Braque’s Violin and Palette (1909) and Picasso’s Ma Jolie (1911-12). Later on, Juan Gris introduced more colours to the austere style of Analytical Cubism. His forms were sharp and clear.
Synthetic Cubism
Picasso and Braque continued to introduce foreign elements into their compositions to experiment with multiple perspectives. These were characterised simple shapes and bright colours. Picasso initiated the Cubist collage with his Still Life with Chair-Caning,1912. Through their works, the Cubist artists questioned if a piece can be considered art even if one does not employ their own craftsmanship and artistic skills into it. Artificial Cubism created an ideological presentation of objects and figures using the elements of imagery. It is generally considered to date from 1912 to 1914.
Cubist Influence on Modern Art Paintings
Cubist style of art was initially looked at with disdain and ridicule the critics and audience alike. Yet, it developed in its own league and came to be respected for its uniqueness and intellectual stimulation. Today, modern painters vouch for the Cubist style of expression and imagery. There are thousands of paintings online that are made young, talented artists. From the wide collection of art found on e-commerce websites, you can pick the ones that best suit your style.
Cubist art utilises a systematic approach to depict the subjects as well as opens up various new ways of viewing. Critics have been divided about whether Cubists aimed to represent imagery in an analytical and objective manner or if they were simply concerned with abstraction and distortion.
The Cubism art movement is the root for a plethora of modern art painting in the style of Constructivism, Orphism, Suprematism, Futurism and De Stijl. Many of these 20th century artists went through a Cubist phase in developing their artistic technique.
The non-representational art and Minimalism also owe their developments to the experiments of the Cubist artists. The popular Art Deco, which incorporates symmetrical and streamlined architecture, exhibits characteristic traits of Cubism. The impact and influence of Cubism has seeped into various forms of modern art and it holds its seat as the rebel who deviated from traditional norms of European Renaissance. Visit IndianArtZone to buy canvas painting online
