C U B I S M
BY JESSAMI VAN DER MERWE- RXX4FT1Y7
B l o g I n t e n t i o n
This blog is created for the purpose of curating a virtual collection of historical artifacts being compared to contemporary examples. Each blog will be representative of a specific Art Movement with the influence and characteristics of that movement being analyzed. This forms part of my ACVL100 (Visual Literacy) Assignment 3 for first year Graphic Design at Pearson Institute of Higher Education.
Background
Cubism was an organized art movement that started in 1907 in Paris by Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso; it fell under the Modernist movement where ideas of the Victorian era were being challenged (Britannica, 2020). Despite being short-lived, ending in 1925 as a result of the movements pioneers being called up for duty in the first World War, its influence was enough to contribute towards the rise of the Constructionist, Expressionist and Futurist movements (Onion, Sullivan, & Mullen, 2018). Cubism aimed to introduce all possible perspectives of a subject within art all at once- this was achieved by implementing distinct geometric shapes to create a cube-like appearance within artworks. This approach enforced abandonment of organisation and instead embraced fragmentation and deconstructionism to suggest a simultaneous view of a subject from multiple viewpoints (Chang, 2018). Further works from Picasso and Braque branched towards concepts of realism and experimentation within abstraction, as well as use of brighter colour palettes (Abdou, 2018).
A r t f a c t o f f o c u s:
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso (1907)
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon was one of the first paintings to epitomize the Cubist movement. Picasso's oil painting is heavily influenced with use of strong abstract lines and geometric forms (Chang, 2018). Fragmentation helps display different shard-like angles of the figures who appear to be made up of harsh and sharp edges; an element that creates continuity with the theme of aggressive promiscuity. This particular artwork was influenced by the primitive age intersecting within the age of Cubism; this intersect is displayed by the traditional masks worn by two of the figures as well as the deconstructed form. (Abdou, 2018) Cubism was influenced by the works of Paul Cezanne; a post-impressionist painter. Cezanne made use of geometric forms to induce a distorted perspective of his subjects and also incorporated an element of flat colours within his paintings. Distortion and flat planes of colour are shown within Les Demoiselles d'Avignon as influenced by Cezanne (The Art Story Contributors, 2012). This particular oil-painting explores sexuality as primitive; indicated by the masks and sexual postures posed by the female figures (Onion, Sullivan, & Mullen, 2018). The exposure of aggressive nudity and raw sexuality created a shock factor during this time period and was seen by many as immoral upon its exhibition in 1916 (The Art Story Contributors, 2012).
C o n t e m p o r a r y C o m p a r i s o n :
"Have I Found You?"by Joseph Bounds
Like the Les Demoiselles d'Avignon painting, the "Have I Found You?" painting falls under Synthetic Cubism as Bounds had made use of a colour palette incorporating brighter colours such as; pinks, browns and blues (Chang, 2018). There is a light insertion of a face between the two portraits which replaces the old principle of collage elements within artworks.
The above painting appears fragmented as it is made up of geometric shapes, the composite of shapes at the far right of the image appears as a reflection of the figures face; this incorporates the method of introducing alternative visuals of the subject. There is no noticeable story or explanation for this image, the main focus is solely on making the figure appear three-dimensional, an important principle in Cubism.
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R e s o u r c e a n d R e f r e n c e s
Abdou, K. (2018, January 31). Cubism: How Picasso and Others Broke From Tradition to Transform Modern Art. Retrieved from My Modern Met: https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-cubism-art/
Britannica. (2020, May 12). Cubism. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/art/Cubism
Chang, A. (2018, December 11). Cubism Shattered Convention to Alter the Course of Art History. Retrieved from ARTSY: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-cubism-shattered-convention-alter-course-art-history
Onion, A., Sullivan, M., & Mullen, M. (2018, August 11). History. Cubism History. Retrieved from History.com.
"Cubism Movement Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2020. TheArtStory.org
Content compiled and written by The Art Story Contributors
Edited and published by The Art Story Contributors
Available from: https://www.theartstory.org/movement/cubism/
First published on 21 Jan 2012. Updated and modified regularly
[Accessed 11 Aug 2020]
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Picasso Image:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cndp.fr%2Fcrdp-reims%2Ffileadmin%2Fdocuments%2Fpreac%2Fpatrimoine_musee_chalons%2FMUSEE_TRANSFORMATIONS_ARTISTIQUES_2011.pdf&psig=AOvVaw0vUjZvtQP2cRWCSJsoArav&ust=1597485875334000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOiE2eW4musCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAf
Bounds Image:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fjosephbounds_art%2F&psig=AOvVaw36m_KSonVWBLi9DH3gHZCp&ust=1597486042908000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNjwqLS5musCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
