Matisse, Picasso & Cubism

Matisse

a French artist known for his use of bold color and fluid line, he was the foremost representative of Fauvism (20th c.) and a lifelong rival and peer of Picasso.

Henri Matisse – The Table (1896–97)

• Early, academic-influenced still life

• Visible brushwork, emerging color focus

• Transitional work before Fauvism

• Interest in surface and composition

Luxury, Calm and Voluptuousness (1904)

• Pointillist influence (Signac)

• Bright, non-natural color

• Leisure and pleasure as themes

• Bridge to Fauvism

Open Window, Collioure (1905)

• Fauvist breakthrough

• Color replaces realistic light

• Flattened space

• Painting as sensation, not description

New Directions (Toward Abstraction) - Matisse

Bonheur de Vivre (1905–06)

• Directly influenced Picasso → leads to Cubism

• Often used to explain color as emotion, not description

The Red Studio (1911)

• Shows radical flattening of space

• Color completely replaces traditional perspective

• Clear step toward abstraction

Dance I (1909)

• Iconic simplified human figures

• Strong sense of rhythm, movement, and emotion

• Near-abstraction while still figurative

Late Work - Matisse

Blue Nude II (1952)

• Cut-out technique

• Shape and color only

• Radical simplification

• Body as abstract form

Jazz (1947)

• Illustrated book of cut-outs

• Rhythm, movement, color

• Art crosses into graphic design

• Abstraction for mass media

Picasso Before Cubism and his Breakthrough

Portrait of Gertrude Stein (1905–06)

• Clear turning point toward Cubism

• Mask-like face → break from realism

• Often used to explain Picasso’s transition to modernism

The Old Guitarist (1903–04)

• Blue Period

• Poverty and isolation

• Elongated, expressive figure

• Emotional realism

BREAKTHROUGH

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907)

• Radical break with tradition

• Distorted bodies and space

• African mask influence

• Birth of Cubism

Roots of Cubism (Proto-Cubism)

Cézanne’s Influence

• Nature reduced to geometric forms

• Multiple viewpoints

• Structure over illusion

Early Cubism (Proto-Cubism) 20th c.

artists began breaking forms into simplified geometric shapes and flattening space, inspired by Cézanne and non-Western art.

Georges Braque – Houses at L’Estaque (1908)

• Simplified geometric architecture

• Reduced color palette

• Space becomes solid

• Cézanne’s influence

Picasso – The Reservoir, Horta de Ebro (1909)

• Fragmented landscape

• Interlocking planes

• Early Cubist space

• Move away from perspective

Analytic Cubism

analyzes objects by breaking them into fragmented planes, showing multiple viewpoints at once, often using a restricted, monochrome color palette.

Picasso – The Guitarist (1910)

• Monochrome palette

• Multiple viewpoints

• Difficult to “read” image

Braque – Pitcher and Violin (1909–10)

• Still life fragmented

• Overlapping planes

• Shallow space

Braque – Still Life with Banderillas (1911)

• Mixed materials (sand)

• Texture emphasized

• Reality vs illusion

Synthetic Cubism

reconstructs objects using simpler shapes, brighter color, collage, and real materials, making images more legible.

Braque – Fruit Dish and Glass (1912)

• Collage introduced

• Real materials pasted

• Simpler, bolder forms

Picasso – Guitar, Sheet Music and Glass (1912)

• Collage + drawing

• Everyday materials

• More legible imagery

Picasso – Au Bon Marché (1913)

• Commercial imagery

• Typography enters art

• Art + advertising

Salon Cubism

Albert Gleizes – The Bathers (1912)

• Monumental Cubism

• More readable figures

• Public exhibition style

• Cubism enters mainstream

Jean Metzinger – Le Goûter (1911)

• Balanced Cubist composition

• Theory + practice combined

• Softer Cubism

JUAN GRIS (Ordered Cubism)

more accessible, monumental version of Cubism shown in public exhibitions, combining Cubist structure with clear figures and decorative order.

Juan Gris – The Table (1914)

• Clear structure

• Bright color

• Precision

Still Life with Checked Tablecloth (1915)

• Decorative pattern

• Strong geometry

• Readable space

• Controlled composition

Cubist Sclupture

Picasso – Woman’s Head (1909)

• Fragmented planes

• Sculpture as constructed form

Picasso – Still Life (1914)

• Assemblage sculpture

• Everyday materials

• Break from carving

• Expansion of Cubist ideas