Guide To Art History Famous Artists Art Styles and Periods Art Mediums Ancient Art Introduction to the Artistic Style of Cubism By ArtHistory.net Cubism is an avantgarde movement of art history that surfaced in the early 20th century in the decade before Europe became embroiled in the First World War. Some say that Cubism was a natural outcome of earlier movements like Impressionism and Expressionism. Pablo Picasso and his contemporary Impressionists, including Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, and Cezanne, were already known for avantgarde paintings. These brilliant artists worked in the creative explosion in Paris, the cultural capital of the West, and responded to each other with new paintings. Who would create the painting that started a new movement in art even if it lasted only a few years before the next one surfaced in Paris? Although the first artists labeled Cubists were different, the real source of Cubism stemmed from works by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. For example, Pablo Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” (1907) is a beautiful oil painting on canvas that shows the visual principles of Cubism, including irregular human figures and shapes and forms that are very geometrical instead of realistic. Hugh Honour and John Fleming, editors of “The Visual Arts: A History,” describe the change in Picasso at the onset: “So, abandoning the single viewpoint and normal proportions, reducing anatomy largely to geometrical lozenges and triangles, he [Picasso] completely reordered the human image.” In the first stage of Analytic and Synthetic Cubism, Picasso and Braque showed evidence of geometrical forms in Picasso’s “The Three Women” (19081909) and “Female Nude” (1910) and Braque’s “Houses and Trees” (1908). Cubist paintings break up figures on canvas, which lends them more depth and life on a twodimensional surface. Art history lovers can also find written notes by Braque, his aphorisms or expressions of love on the subject of art. These writings were first published in 1917, and they reveal his thinking as a Cubist. For example, Braque wrote, “To be pure imitation, painting must make an abstraction from appearances.” The second stage of Cubism called Orphic Cubism was a side journey from Picasso and

Cubism and Art History

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GuideToArtHistory

FamousArtistsArtStylesandPeriodsArtMediumsAncientArt

IntroductiontotheArtisticStyleofCubismByArtHistory.net

Cubismisanavantgardemovementofarthistorythatsurfacedintheearly20thcenturyinthedecadebeforeEuropebecameembroiledintheFirstWorldWar.SomesaythatCubismwasanaturaloutcomeofearliermovementslikeImpressionismandExpressionism.

PabloPicassoandhiscontemporaryImpressionists,includingHenriMatisse,ClaudeMonet,andCezanne,werealreadyknownforavantgardepaintings.ThesebrilliantartistsworkedinthecreativeexplosioninParis,theculturalcapitaloftheWest,andrespondedtoeachotherwithnewpaintings.WhowouldcreatethepaintingthatstartedanewmovementinartevenifitlastedonlyafewyearsbeforethenextonesurfacedinParis?

AlthoughthefirstartistslabeledCubistsweredifferent,therealsourceofCubismstemmedfromworksbyPabloPicassoandGeorgesBraque.Forexample,PabloPicassosLesDemoisellesdAvignon(1907)isabeautifuloilpaintingoncanvasthatshowsthevisualprinciplesofCubism,includingirregularhumanfiguresandshapesandformsthatareverygeometricalinsteadofrealistic.

HughHonourandJohnFleming,editorsofTheVisualArts:AHistory,describethechangeinPicassoattheonset:

So,abandoningthesingleviewpointandnormalproportions,reducinganatomylargelytogeometricallozengesandtriangles,he[Picasso]completelyreorderedthehumanimage.

InthefirststageofAnalyticandSyntheticCubism,PicassoandBraqueshowedevidenceofgeometricalformsinPicassosTheThreeWomen(19081909)andFemaleNude(1910)andBraquesHousesandTrees(1908).Cubistpaintingsbreakupfiguresoncanvas,whichlendsthemmoredepthandlifeonatwodimensionalsurface.ArthistoryloverscanalsofindwrittennotesbyBraque,hisaphorismsorexpressionsofloveonthesubjectofart.Thesewritingswerefirstpublishedin1917,andtheyrevealhisthinkingasaCubist.Forexample,Braquewrote,Tobepureimitation,paintingmustmakeanabstractionfromappearances.

ThesecondstageofCubismcalledOrphicCubismwasasidejourneyfromPicassoand
Braque.NotableartistswereRobertDelaunay,SoniaDelaunayTerk,MarcelDuchamp,FernandLeger,andFrancisPicabia.PaintingswhichexemplifiedthisbranchofCubismareSoniaDelaunaysSimultaneousContrasts,andRobertDelaunaysCircularForms,andLegersContrastofForms.DuchampandPicabiawouldsoonbecomekeymembersoftheDadamovementhowever,Dadaismfocusedheavilyonmultipleartforms,includingstreamofconsciousnesswritingandpublicationandradicalperformanceart.

In1911,anassortmentofartistsdisplayedtheirworksinaParisexhibit.WrittenaccountsoftheseworkslabeledthemasthefirstCubistsevenafterBraqueandPicassohadalreadycreatedseveralCubistworks.In1912,otherCubistexhibitionssweptEurope,butBraqueandPicassodidnotparticipate.Twoartists,AlbertGleizesandJeanMetzinger,evenpublishedDuCubisme,abookonthesubject.AlthoughPicassosworkspannedalmostacentury,whenpeoplethinkofPicassotheyoftenconjureupanimageofoneofhisrenownedCubistpaintings.

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