Essay on Cubism

Art, according to Webster's Dictionary, is a human skill of expression of other objects by painting, drawing, and sculpture. People have used art as a form of expression for a long time. From the Mesopotamian era to the Classical Greeks and the present. Art is expressed in many different ways and styles, and is rapidly changing, one style replacing another. Impressionism and Cubism broke away from the traditional style of painting. They were both looking for a new way to express everyday life. Time is an important tool that is used in Cubism as well as Impressionism. This element is expressed in Claude Monet's Sunrise and Pablo Picasso's Man with a Violin in different ways.

A large mural, Guernica is an example of Synthetic Cubism painted by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). Created using the medium of oil paint on canvas with a narrow palette consisting of the neutral hues: white, grey and black; the formalist qualities of Guernica can have harrowing effects on the spectator, “But to see it in real life, in its full size, is an even stronger emotional experience. Some people have said they experienced an instant rush of many powerful, fearful emotions” (The Open University, 2016, Block 3, 2.2.2).

The transition between the 19th and 20th century has brought further development of modernistic ideas, concepts and techniques in art. Inspired by Cezanne’s idea, saying that all nature objects can be illustrated with just three geometrical figures: cube, sphere and cone, Pablo Picasso created his first paintings, which became the icons of modern art and cubism movement in

“In Cubism paintings, objects are broken apart and reassembled in an abstracted form, highlighting their composite geometric shapes and depicting them from multiple, simultaneous viewpoints in order to create physics defying, collage- like effects” (Biography.com Editors). This innovative art form was very diverse from any other and he was able to create an unseen theme resulting in the new style, Cubism. As said in this article, “Pablo Picasso is most known for instruction of cubism, and modern approach to painting. Which set forth the movements to follow in the twentieth century” (Pablo Picasso and His Paintings). They were two different forms of cubism that were created, analytical and collage, by Picasso and Baroque. Each type focused on the composition of different ideas combined into one piece of artwork. Analytical, the first form of cubism, was the breaking down but put together form of Pablo’s new art style (Pablo Picasso). An example of this division of art would be “Break and Fruit Dish on a Table”, which shows the new perspective being shown with the fruit dish. The simplicity of the geometrical shapes coming together to form a complex image was repeatedly the case for analytical

One of the unique parts of the ‘Seated Woman’ painting is the style that is presented by Picasso. Made mainstream in the art world by Picasso and fellow artist Georges Braque, cubism is the

Cubism ignited a new way to think and look at art. In Picasso’s 1910 Portrait of Art Dealer Ambroise Vollard, he really pushed the boundaries of abstract painting in this analytic cubist composition. Analytic cubism is in which the object is broken down and dissolves into underlying geometric figures. Therefore, to examine the Portrait of Art Dealer Ambroise Vollard, the viewer cannot stand too close because all of what will be seen is geometric facets. However, if the viewer steps backwards, then they will see that Ambroise Vollard is in the center of the composition. He has dissolved into the background, yet the details of his face are evident with his balding head, closed eyes, beard, and mustache. Picasso used monochrome colors of browns and gray tones throughout this painting, which was indispensable to the underlying geometric elements of the Ambroise Vollard’s form and the background merged into each other (Soltes, L38,

It would allow Picasso to move forward into a kind of paintingthat was totally new (Sayre 455). The painting is considered the predecessor of Cubism, anartistic style initiated by Picasso and his friend and colleague painter, Georges Braque. In Cubistpaintings, objects are broken apart and reassembled in an abstracted form creating college-likeeffects. His creative styles go beyond realism and abstraction, Cubism, and Surrealism. Picassoonce said, “You expect me to tell you: What is

Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles D’Avignon is considered by many to be a revolutionary breakthrough in the history of modern art. Demoiselles is a “great manifesto of modernist painting” as Picasso had abandoned all known form of traditional art, a radical break from the Western tradition that very much led to the Cubism movement (Bishop, 2002). What made Demoiselles revolutionary was that "in it Picasso broke away from the two central characteristics of European painting since the Renaissance: the classical norm for the human figure, and the spatial illusionism of one-point perspective" (Fry, 1966). Cubism had “destroyed […] the realist conventions for three-dimensional perspective which had been dominant in art since the Renaissance” (Butler, 2010). While generally credited as the first Cubist painting, art historians such as John Golding have argued that it was only a “starting point for the history of Cubism” (1958). Indeed, the picture predicates key characteristics of Cubism like the distortion and break down of objects and figures into distinct shapes, rather than being itself a Cubist painting. This analysis will concentrate on the elements of Cubism in Demoiselles and how it led to the movement.

This was his melancholic period. It is believed that this period begun as a result of a suicide committed by one of his close friends, although most of the paintings were of people he saw in the streets. This style consisted of dark colors such as dark blue tones, grey, and sorrowful tints. His works in this period will show how he is dealing with events in his life that aren’t so bright and welcoming. Eventually, in 1904, his palette lightened. This was the Rose Period. During these years, Picasso was happy in his relationship with Fernande Olivier whom he had met in 1904. Picasso's work regains its romantic character in a couple of paintings in warmer colors, many of them in the colors red and pink, hinting the “rose” period. His color palette will continue to change throughout his emotional ups and downs. Picasso had mainly 3 styles: Cubism, Symbolism, and Surrealism. His first style, cubism was developed by Pablo Picasso between 1907-1911.This classic phase has two stages. Analytic is when forms seem to be 'analyzed' and fragmented, while synthetic, in which materials such as newspaper and wood veneer are collaged to the surface of the canvas. The second

Their idea was meant to show the originality of the painting and the complication of the painting. One of their very first paintings was Mia Jolie which amazed everyone. Picasso wasn't known for cubist style painting instead many know him for his artwork blue period. Soon after he discovered worm colors he ended his blue period painting style.

Picasso’s Three Musicians is a prime example of Cubist style. To fully understand cubism, a person needs to understand that the subject of the artwork becomes a sequence of planes, lines, and arcs. Another aspect of Cubism art has been described as a reinvention of an artist’s analyzation of shapes. This analyzation of shapes show how artists subject and reinvent them on a canvas. (The Free Library)

Girl before a Mirror, an oil on canvas painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, shows two sides of a girl; one which is illustrated with a dark tone and one with a vibrant colorful tone. This painting is bright; colors are at full intensity and are arranged next to their complements, producing a visual relationship between shape and form. Forms are used to draw the viewer’s eye across the canvas where circular shapes, repeating throughout the work, are compensated by the pattern of diagonal lines of the background. The viewer observes the girl’s profile and full frontal image, looking into a mirror and noticing a different image of herself. In order to achieve this effect, Picasso uses a range of formal elements that highlight the

Between 1907 and 1914, Picasso collaborated with Georges Braque and together they produced a style known as Cubism. The period after World War I indicated an apparent return to the art of realism for Picasso as seen in a pencil drawing of 1915, Portrait of Vollard. This small work foretold Picasso's renewed curiosity in descriptive interpretation, which, for some time, ran parallel with cubism. During the 1920's, a growing sense of unease was expressed through Picasso's work and a style shift started moving from Cubism to being closer to surrealism (an artistic movement of the early 20th century that stressed fantasy and the subconscious mind).

Modernism is an art movement that is characterized by a deliberate departure from tradition to a more expressive form that distinguishes many styles in the arts and literature of the late nineteenth and twentieth century. Emile Bernard was part of this modern art movement as can be seen in his painting, "Breton Woman and Haystacks", painted around 1888. Impressionists were modern artists who tended to paint outside landscapes and street scenes and were concerned with the effects of light. Bernard was a Post-Impressionist artist who considered Impressionism too casual or too naturalistic, and sought a means of exploring emotion in paint. Bernard's work, "Breton Woman and Haystacks", depicts a woman in

"A picture can paint a thousand words." I found the one picture in my mind that does paint a thousand words and more. It was a couple of weeks ago when I saw this picture in the writing center; the writing center is part of State College. The beautiful colors caught my eye. I was so enchanted by the painting, I lost the group I was with. When I heard about the observation essay, where we have to write about a person or thing in the city that catches your eye. I knew right away that I wanted to write about the painting. I don’t know why, but I felt that the painting was describing the way I felt at that moment.