lecture 8

Overview of George Braque and Cubism

• Lecture focuses on George Braque's engagement with Cubism after viewing Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.

• Discussion emphasizes the period of Cubism and its impact on Braque's artistic trajectory.

George Braque's Background

• Braque came from a family of amateur painters and was initially associated with the Fauvist movement.

• He studied at the Louvre, influenced by ancient Egyptian art and archaic Greek sculpture.

• Encounter with post-impressionists, especially Cezanne, significantly shaped his style.

Meeting Picasso

• Formal introduction to Picasso occurred around March 1907.

• By the end of 1908, Braque and Picasso were frequently collaborating and visiting each other’s studios.

• Les Demoiselles d’Avignon prompted Braque to explore the representation of nudes in his art, notably in his 1908 work, Large Nude.

Influence of Matisse

• Matisse's Blue Nude visually influenced Braque’s portrayal of figures; similarities in muscular form and use of color noted.

• Braque employed subdued colors such as ochres, browns, greys, and blues, contrasting with Matisse's vibrant palette.

Key Characteristics of Braque's Work

• Interest in new beauty through volume, line, mass, and weight instead of traditional ideas of beauty or sexuality.

• Houses in L'Estaque shows simplified geometric forms, colors that create a sense of spatial advance, and inconsistencies that invite viewer interpretation.

• Works reject perspective norms and prioritizes pictorial structure over realism.

Reception and Terms

• Submitted his works to progressive exhibitions like the 1908 Salon d’Automne, but faced rejection due to their radical form.

• Matisse's comment on Braque's work led to the term "Cubism."

Analytic Cubism (1909-1911)

• Phase recognized for rethinking perspective and space in art, moving away from traditional one-point perspective.

• Focus on still lives and figure studies, with common objects from day-to-day life inspiring their subjects.

• Artists intended to challenge viewers’ perceptions of space and forms on two-dimensional surfaces.

Key Works of Analytic Cubism

• Violin and Palette (1909) by Braque

  • Explores musical instruments and ambiguous spatial relationships, demonstrating a new interpretation of space.

  • Depicts the violin in fragmented views to challenge representation.

• Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler (1910) by Picasso

  • Displays the subject blended with the background, emphasizing rethinking traditional portraiture.

  • The image showcases how perspective and representation dissolve in cubism.

• The Portuguese (1911) by Braque

  • Inspired by a memory of a singer, juxtaposes background and figure with ambiguity in form and space.

  • Utilizes subdued colors and overlapping planes to challenge conventional understanding.

Transition to Synthetic Cubism (1912-1914)

• Shift marked by Picasso's use of collage techniques, introducing mixed materials into works.

• Still Life with Chair Caning (1912) by Picasso signifies a play on perceptions of reality.

  • Incorporates oilcloth and uses commercial enamel paint, redefining fine art parameters.

Braque's Contribution to Synthetic Cubism

• Fruit Dish and Glass (September 1912) by Braque

  • Combines drawing and cutout techniques to play with viewer perceptions in a café setting.

  • The work manifests nuances between layered objects and constructed spaces.

• Guitar, Sheet Music and Wine Glass (Fall 1912) by Picasso

  • Incorporates actual objects and combines with a painted surface, blurring boundaries between reality and representation.

  • Utilizes newspaper elements to add socio-political context, alluding to contemporary events.

Cubist Sculpture

• Innovations in three-dimensionality through assemblage techniques using materials like wood, cardboard, and paper.

• Guitar (1912) by Picasso

  • Represents rebellion against traditional sculpture with fragmented form and open planes.

  • Inspired by African masks, features unexpected projections into viewers’ space.

• Man with a Guitar (1915) by Jacques Lipchitz

  • Traditional methods of clay to stone sculpture but embodied cubist influences with abstracted forms.

Conclusion

• The lecture covers a significant period in art history where artists like Braque and Picasso pushed boundaries of representation and form.

• Upcoming discussions will focus on artists influenced by Cubism and their divergent paths.

Overview of George Braque and Cubism

The lecture comprehensively explores the significant contributions of George Braque to the Cubism movement, a revolutionary artistic style that radically altered conventional representation and perspective in painting. A key moment that catalyzed Braque's involvement with Cubism was his exposure to Pablo Picasso's renowned work, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, which instigated a profound shift in his artistic focus. The exploration of Cubism not only transformed Braque's personal oeuvre but also highlighted his collaborative partnership with Picasso, which became crucial to the evolution of this influential art movement.

George Braque's Background

• Early Life: George Braque was born on May 13, 1882, in Argenteuil, France. He hailed from a family that had amateur painters, which provided him with early exposure to art and nurtured his talent from childhood.

• Formal Education: Braque’s artistic education involved studying at the prestigious Louvre Museum, where he acquired a diverse understanding of numerous artistic styles and movements. His work reflects a fascination with ancient Egyptian art and archaic Greek sculptures, both of which influenced his approach to form and structure in art.

• Fauvist Movement: Initially, Braque was linked to the Fauvist movement, celebrated for its vivid colors and bold brushwork. Over time, he began to appreciate more structured methods of representation, particularly influenced by the post-impressionist painter, Paul Cézanne, whose work emphasized geometric structures and spatial relationships.

Meeting Picasso

• Introduction to Picasso: Braque's formal introduction to Pablo Picasso occurred around March 1907, marking the beginning of a compelling friendship that would greatly impact both artists' works. Their overlapping interests in art created a fertile ground for innovative explorations.

• Collaborative Creativity: By 1908, Braque and Picasso were frequently visiting each other's studios and engaging in collaborative projects. This close partnership played a pivotal role in the formation of a new artistic language and vocabulary that distinguished Cubism.

• Response to Les Demoiselles d’Avignon: The groundbreaking visual language of Les Demoiselles d’Avignon compelled Braque to reconsider his approach to figure representation. This is notably seen in his 1908 work, Large Nude, which reflects his exploration of form, structure, and the human figure.

Influence of Matisse

• Impact of Matisse: Henri Matisse's work notably influenced Braque, particularly in the depiction of the human form. Matisse's Blue Nude specifically encouraged Braque to explore muscularity and color dynamics in his figures.

• Palette Choices: In contrast to Matisse’s exuberant palettes filled with vibrant hues, Braque preferred a more muted color scheme characterized by ochres, browns, greys, and deep blues, allowing for emotional depth and resonance within his compositions.

Key Characteristics of Braque's Work

• Reconceptualizing Beauty: Braque’s artistic philosophy was centered around redefining beauty through an examination of volume, line, mass, and weight, steering away from traditional notions of aesthetic beauty and sexuality.

• Geometric Abstraction: His painting Houses in L'Estaque exemplifies this approach, utilizing simplified geometric forms and strategic color choices that create a sense of spatial depth, inviting viewers to interact intellectually and emotionally with the artwork.

• Focus on Structure: Braque often rejected established norms of perspective, concentrating instead on pictorial structure and the interplay of different forms and elements, thus emphasizing abstraction over realistic depictions.

Reception and Terms

• Critical Reception: Despite his innovative approaches, Braque faced criticism and rejection when he submitted works to contemporary exhibitions such as the 1908 Salon d’Automne. Critics found his radical form challenging and unfamiliar.

• Coinage of 'Cubism': The term “Cubism” emerged after comments from Matisse about Braque’s pioneering work, signifying a new era in art characterized by fragmented perspectives and multiple interpretations of forms.

Analytic Cubism (1909-1911)

• Philosophy of Analytic Cubism: This phase of Cubism is recognized for its distinctive rethinking of perspective and spatial relationships, departing significantly from traditional one-point perspective. The focus during this period was on exploring a limited color palette and the fragmentation of forms.

• Themes and Inspiration: Artists predominantly concentrated on still lifes and human figure studies, drawing from commonplace objects to challenge and stimulate viewers' perceptions and understanding of art.

Key Works of Analytic Cubism

1. Violin and Palette

   • Date: 1909

   • Artist: Georges Braque

   • Facts: Explores fragmented views of musical instruments and ambiguous spatial relationships. Challenges conventional representation of forms and emphasizes interaction of line and space.

2. Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler

   • Date: 1910

   • Artist: Pablo Picasso

   • Facts: Portrait blends subject with background, rethinking traditional portrait approaches. Highlights the dissolution of perspective in Cubism's exploration of identity.

3. The Portuguese

   • Date: 1911

   • Artist: Georges Braque

   • Facts: Inspired by a memory of a singer; juxtaposes figure with ambiguous background. Utilizes subdued colors and overlapping planes, inviting deeper engagement from viewers.

Transition to Synthetic Cubism (1912-1914)

• Emergence of New Techniques: The transition to Synthetic Cubism marked a significant shift in artistic practices, with artists like Picasso incorporating collage techniques and mixed materials into their works, breaking down boundaries between fine art and craft.

• Still Life with Chair Caning

  • Date: 1912

  • Artist: Pablo Picasso

  • Facts: Incorporates collage elements, merging realistic and represented forms, thereby redefining artistic boundaries and perceptions of reality.

Braque's Contribution to Synthetic Cubism

1. Fruit Dish and Glass

   • Date: September 1912

   • Artist: Georges Braque

   • Facts: Employs drawing and cutout techniques to explore viewer perceptions within a café setting. Layers objects against constructed spaces, emphasizing material interplay.

2. Guitar, Sheet Music and Wine Glass

   • Date: Fall 1912

   • Artist: Pablo Picasso

   • Facts: Incorporates physical elements with painted surfaces, blurring the lines between reality and representation while including newspaper features to link art with contemporary events.

Cubist Sculpture

• Three-Dimensional Innovations: Cubism also made substantial contributions to three-dimensional art via assemblage techniques, introducing diverse materials such as wood, cardboard, and paper to articulate sculptural forms reflecting cubist principles.

• Guitar

  • Date: 1912

  • Artist: Pablo Picasso

  • Facts: Fragmented form with open planes challenges conventional sculpture norms; influenced by African masks and emphasizes viewers’ spatial awareness.

• Man with a Guitar

  • Date: 1915

  • Artist: Jacques Lipchitz

  • Facts: Traditional clay to stone transition reflecting cubist influences with abstracted forms, melding classical techniques with modernist thought.

Conclusion

The lecture offers a thorough look at a seminal period in art history dominated by groundbreaking innovations from artists like Braque and Picasso. These pioneers consistently pushed the limits of representation and artistic form, laying the groundwork for future exploration in modern art. Subsequent discussions will delve into the diverse trajectories of artists influenced by Cubism and their unique contributions to the art world.