The Creation of Cubism
Cubism is a fascinating period in art history because of its small timeframe of popularity and the artists that it attracted. Discussing the time periods of art history is normally characterized by many artists trying to make their mark and a variety within the genre. In the case of Cubism, however, there are only two artists who experimented with and defined this movement. This is just one of the things that make Cubism stand out against other periods in art history.
What’s the story
Cubism got its start at some point between 1907 and 1909, but the actual start point is largely debated. However, by 1910 the movement was underway in the hands of Pablo Picasso and George Braque. Cubism ended around 1922 but only because it started to be assimilated into other movements.
[figure 1] Paul Cézanne, Mont Sainte-Victoire, 1902-4, oil on canvas, 73x91.9cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art. Click to enlarge.
Cubism grew out of Paul Cézanne's late work like Mont Sainte-Victoire which attempts to simplify the landscape by breaking it down to its colors and shapes [figure 1]. Cézanne is firmly a contributor to the Impressionism movement and focused on capturing the impression of the landscape depicted. However, Cézanne falls at the end of the Impressionism movement and therefore pays more attention to the evolution of his art away from the central ideas of the movement, like abstraction in favor of emotion, and instead focuses on dissecting how he and others see the world. To simplify, Cézanne tried to be the forward-thinking artist of the Impressionist movement and succeeded by inspiring Picasso and Braque to create a new movement entirely.
If you are one of the art historians who believe that Cubism began in 1907, then the movement begun with Pablo Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon [figure 2]. This work is the arguable beginning of Cubism because it begins the breakdown of figures into fragments and planes, and has a limited color palette. Alternately, this work does begin the Cubist movement because the purpose of this work was not to explore the dissection of color and shapes but rather for Picasso to explore his influences and combine them into one work. One of Picasso's first truly Cubist works is Daniel Henry-Kahnweiler painted in 1910 [figure 3]. This work captures the characteristic traits of Cubism; a simplified color palette, fragmented planes that capture the larger picture abstractly, presents the reality of the subject as it could be seen instead of how the artist sees it.
[figure 2] Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907, oil on canvas, 243.9 x 233.7cm, Museum of Modern Art
[figure 3] Pablo Picasso, Daniel Henry-Kahnweiler, 1910, oil on canvas, 100.4 x 72.4cm, Art Institute of Chicago.
The other artist who worked closely with Picasso to develop the Cubist movement was George Braque. Like Picasso, Braque also has a work that is not what Cubism eventually becomes, but is a significant movement in that direction. This work is Houses at L'Estaque that could be mistaken for a work by Cézanne [figure 4]. Completed in 1908, this is more commonly associated with the beginning of Cubism. However, it isn't until the following year that a work that would be considered characteristically Cubist is created by Braque. This work, Violin and Palette, painted in 1909, entirely changes the perception of what art can be and how it can accurately portray reality without becoming too symbolic or figurative [figure 5]. Cubism attempts to go back to the basics in the way that it tries to capture a form simply by taking it down to its forms and neutral colors.
[figure 4] George Braque, Houses at l’Estaque, 1908, oil on canvas, 40.5 x 32.5cm, Lille Museum of Modern, Contemporary and Outsider Art
[figure 5] George Braque, Violin and Palette, 1909, oil on canvas, 91.7 x 42.8cm, Guggenheim Museum
What defines the movement
When looking back at Cubism as a movement, it is divided into two different parts. From 1910 to 1912, the works of art created are considered Analytical Cubism. One way to think about this part of the movement is as the perfection of the basic technique of the period. Analytical Cubist works focus on the deconstruction of the ideas of perspectives, planes, and dimensions of previous movements. As previously mentioned Cubism, especially Analytical Cubism uses simple subjects so that the fragmented planes of color that represent these subjects are easily identifiable. Depending on whether you are discussing Picasso or Braque these fragmented pieces of the larger whole either seem to be pulling the subject towards the center of the piece, or exploding outward towards the edge of the canvas, respectively. This effect is meant to allow for the viewer to adjust how they see and understand the subject. In Daniel Henry-Kahnweiler and Violin and Palette look for how the squares, or cubes, of color build up the larger image, but if you pick one specific square, you will not get any sense of the larger picture [figures 3 and 5]. This is how Analytical Cubism is intended to work, dissecting a simple subject to gain a better understanding of the subject.
The second distinct part of Cubism, from 1912 to 1914, is called Synthetic Cubism. This movement within Cubism takes the already established techniques and puts a spin on them. In 1912, Picasso and Braque started to incorporate tactile items into their work. The best example is Picasso's Still Life with Chair Caning, 1912 which incorporated the seat of a chair into the canvas that Picasso used [figure 6]. This work also feels like the perfect example because it is in the shape of an oval, unlike the average canvas painting. In this way, the work further embodies the ideas of Synthetic Cubism because it adopts a new form to make the viewer question how they are supposed to understand the work. If you look at the planes of color on the canvas portion of this piece, you may pick out shapes that may form cups, saucers, maybe a tea kettle, possibly a newspaper. These shapes are placed on top of an oval shape, creating the perception of a table. The chair caning supports and reinforces this idea so that the viewer can further understand what the simple subject is and place it in a situation. Synthetic Cubism also begins a transition to Collage which becomes a small movement within Cubism and a popular medium during Dadaism, which followed closely behind Cubism.
[figure 6] Pablo Picasso, Still Life with Chair Caning, 1912, oil on oil cloth over canvas, chair caning, edged with rope, 29 x 37cm, location undetermined.
Who are the artists
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was a Spanish artist who was a champion of numerous artistic movements. Although he began his career in the realm of realism, he quickly moved on to more abstract movements of art history. Cubism was the first of many, and he continued his career by participating in Surrealism and Symbolism, but Cubism continued to influence his work throughout his career. Picasso's work was also generally known for riffing on his numerous influences. In his early career, these influences were Classical, Iberian, and Tribal art. As his career continued he took inspiration from his past works and from life around him and continued to grow his portfolio.
Picasso committed himself to the investigation of Cubism because he was interested in creating art that represented objects the way they are in reality instead of creating art that was pretending to be those objects. He sought this reality by deconstructing the ideas of perspective that started in the Renaissance and breaking his subjects into fragments. These fragments were created with thick and short brush strokes so that the perspective for any fragment is unclear. Picasso's commitment to these ideas shows that his idea of reality is not just copying nature but giving his audience a way to see and accept reality the way it should be.
George Braque (1882-1963) closely collaborated with Picasso in the exploration of Cubism. Unlike Picasso, Braque focused his career on Cubism, and as his career progressed it continued to be adaptations on Cubist ideas. Braque was also more concerned with the composition and techniques of Cubism than the deconstruction of perspective that Picasso was focused on. Luckily the two of them worked together well and created a unified technique for Cubism. Often it is difficult to even begin to differentiate between works by Braque and Picasso. Braque's concern for the composition of his works also led him to focus on a sense of balance within his works. This balance could also be defined as the simplicity that defines Analytical Cubism.
Why is it important to art history?
Cubism is a stepping stone between the larger movements of art history, but that does not make it any less important. If anything the idea that it is an "in-between" moment makes it even more important. On one side of Cubism is Impressionism, the revolutionary movement that allowed artists to capture their impressions of the world. Then on the other side of Cubism, and the other side of World War I, artistic movements began to splinter. After Cubism, we see movements like Dadaism, Surrealism, and Expressionism, all of which are searching for the simplicity that Braque and Picasso were able to capture in Cubism.
[figure 7] Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937, oil on canvas, 349.3 x 776.6 cm, Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain.
Another aspect of Cubism that cements its importance is that it is not known for its more foundational works. Instead, the works that we would normally identify as Cubist are works like Guernica, painted in 1937, based on the bombing of Guernica during World War I, which is not actually a work of Cubism by its definition [figure 7]. So, it is important to define what Cubism actually is in order to differentiate between Cubist works and works that were inspired by Cubism.
How can you form your own perspective?
First, think about how you feel about Cubism. Are these works confusing? Do you see the shapes that Picasso and Braque are trying to create with squares and cubes? Or do these works just look like a sea of beige and black lines? Developing an opinion on the movement as a whole will help you form your perspective on Cubism.
Beyond that, do you think it makes sense to project reality in this way? Is it more realistic to show a violin in fragmented pieces so that you can understand that it is a violin from every angle? Or is it more realistic to just see a painted violin that is inherently fake, but recognizable? How would you respond to Picasso and Braque's ideas about how artists portray reality? If you can answer these questions you may begin to understand how complex Cubism is as a movement, or you may think it is an unnecessary movement in art history. What's your perspective?
"The Creation of Cubism” was written using The Art Story's article on Cubism and Art in Theory 1900-2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas essays on Cubism by Pablo Picasso and Geroge Braque as references
