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Cubism: A History

            Cubist's stylistic and technical innovations are easier to understand than its place in the Art History world as a concept. A clear sequence of events can be outlined and this makes invariably easy to grasp. In Cubism, there is a notion of essentialist cubism. This refers to the techniques introduced by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque that were thought of as the leaders of Cubism. Their methods were highly influential because they were so open to different and often contradictory adaptations. It is important to note that the geometric simplifications of form that led to art critic Louis Vauxcelle's reference to "cubes" in 1908 were not in themselves innovative. Instead it was the rendering of three dimensional spaces, shifting viewpoints and of volume or mass in terms of flat planes that was seen as innovative and different. This did not actually simplify, rather it complicated the problem of depiction. .
             Les Demoiselles d"Avignon (1907) is often seen as the painting that opened the way for cubism. It is based on the exaggerated changes of viewpoints that is applied to all figures, especially to the crouching nude on the right whose head seems to have swivelled free of the shoulders. Contrasting viewpoints became an important idea for Cubists in general which led to the assertion that cubism was basically conceptual rather than being perceptual. Maurice Rayneal, a supporter of Cubism, was responsible for this claim. The art critic argued that the rejection of consistent perspective represented a break from the insistence of spontaneity that had characterised Impressionism. Optical exploration of the world was important in the world as never before. Art was no longer just an examination of the world around an artist; it was the result of intelligent, mobile investigation.
             Braque's L"Estaque landscapes of 1908 are also argued as the first Cubist paintings but for a different reason.


Essays Related to Cubism: A History

1. Cubism

It is rare, if not unheard of, that a turning point in the history of art can be pinpointed specifically. ... It may come as little surprise that a movement so clear in its history finds another large part of its origin in a single phrase, a single idea. ... However, while this would become the route that the early phase of Cubism would follow (called Analytical Cubism), Picasso only really uses the technique on two of the women depicted in Demoiselles d'Avignon. ... This stage would later become known as Analytical Cubism. ... Cubism would have many other followers. ...

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2. Cubism

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (The Young Women of Avignon) has been called the first true twentieth century painting because of its revolutionary role in the history of art. ... Cubism wasn't accepted into art society immediately. ... Jansen points out in History of Art, in this painting "Picasso used primitive art as a battering ram against the classical conception of beauty- (MacDonald 46). ... Picasso was an extremely successful pioneer of Cubism. ... That may be true, but his Cubism shines above all....

  • Word Count: 1204
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3. Biography of George Braque

While cubism had began as an idea, It had eventually became an art style. ... Cubism is a form of style that is used in painting and sculpture where square shapes are broken up, analyzed and then formed together in an abstract form. ... He had meant the comment to be insulting, but the name Cubism had actually struck Braque and inspired him to develop the name Cubism. ... Even though he tried different art styles, his art work still continued to show aspects of Cubism. Cubism is an avant-garde movement of art history. ...

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4. Art, Hockney and Picasso

In order to understand the development of cubism one must first consider the background in which it derived. ... Cubism became a response to the events, the time, and the space. ... Cubism was unlike this entirely. Cubism wanted to depict the more natural world of the moving eye and human being. ... Art history expert Beth Gersh-Nesic explains, "To know an object from different points of view takes time, because you move the object around in space or you move around the object in space. ...

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5. art history

"Nature Morte- La Cafatiere" (1944) and "Violin et Compotier" (1910) are unique still lifes done by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, pioneers of the cubism style. ... In cubism this is accepted because rather than showing the object how it would really be seen, it can be seen from different perspectives at once. ... Both "Nature Morte- La Cafatiere"(1944) and "Violin et Compotier" (1910) are excellent examples of Cubism in their period. Cubism was a style in which sometimes no attempt at three-dimensionalism is made. ... "Violin et Compotier" (1910) is an example of the height in a...

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6. Picasso

Although Picasso's cubism innovations first shocked both artists and viewers, thousands of artists and designers, and even architects, have been influenced by Cubism, and millions of viewers have attended his exhibitions. Cubism spread throughout the Western World. While others imitated Cubism or took it in new directions, Picasso went on to new ways of painting. ... To his time in history, Picasso gave his art a visual symbol of the human spirit in its search for truth, freedom, and perfection....

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7. Art Isms

The "isms" of Art In the later years of our history we have come to see art progress in many stages. ... They found many of their subjects in life around them rather than in history, which was the accepted source of subject matter. ... Fauvism can be seen as a branch of Cubism in its extreme outlook on life. ... Lastly, it is these series of movements that defines the art of the later years of our history. From realism to impressionism, post-impressionism to modernism, cubism to futurism, and constructivism to surrealism, from these we have a history-shaping concept of expression....

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8. Twentieth Century Artists and Abstract Impressionism

Around 1909, Picasso developed a new art form called Cubism along with the French artist Georges Braque. ... This became known as Analytical Cubism. From 1913 to 1921, brighter colors, more decorative shapes, stenciling, and collage was used and became known as Synthetic Cubism. ... This period of his painting is referred to as the musical phase of cubism. ... It portrayed the horrors of war using a Surrealist method that Picasso never really delved into (History of Art. ...

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9. The History Of Art

Many Romantics looked to nature and history for their inspiration. ... Expressionism and cubism both took place during the 1900s. ... Cubism was thought to be the most influential movement in the history of modern art. ...

  • Word Count: 1274
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