Cubism: Analytical and Synthetic



Cubism, one of the most influential visual art styles of the early twentieth century.
Pablo Picasso, ‘Girl with a Mandolin' (1910) (Photo: MoMA via Wikimedia Commonshttps://mymodernmet.com/what-is-cubism-art/
This blog will be discussing one of the most significant and first abstract style in modern art that was established and adopted by two of the most incredible painters. Furthermore, will be briefed out in terms of how the new art visual language, name of the movement and stylistic characteristics came into being (Nesic, 2017: no. p).

Cubism was created by It was created by the nonother Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) and French acquaintance Georges Braque (1882–1963), together they formed this new movement in Paris between 1907 and 1914 and adopted the name that the French art critic Louis Vauxcelles coined after seeing the landscapes Braque had painted in 1908 at L’Estaque in emulation. He referred to the geometric forms in the highly abstracted works “cubes.” (Abdou, 2018: no. p).

Cubism brought abstract shapes, lines, circles, angular and other abstract shapes be deemed as an art on its own. The focus in this art movement was to reject the inherited concept that art should copy nature, or that artists should adopt the traditional techniques of perspective, modelling, and foreshortening. What was focused on instead was the emphasise on the two-dimensionality of the canvas by reducing and fracturing objects into geometric forms, and then realigning these within a shallow, relief like space. Other influences on early Cubism have been linked to Primitivism and non-Western sources. While Picasso and Braque are credited with creating this new visual language, it was adopted and further developed by many painters, including Fernand Léger, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Juan Gris, Roger de la Fresnaye, Marcel Duchamp, Albert Gleizes, Jean Metzinger and Diego Rivera to mention a few  (Abdou, 2018: no. p).

 
GEORGES BRAQUE (1882-1963)
'Viaduct at L'Estaque', 1908 (oil on canvas)


LEFT: Pablo Picasso, 'Head of a Woman', 1907 (oil on canvas)
RIGHT: Dan Mask from West Africa

 Cubism summary characteristics:

·         Geometricity, simplified figures and objects into geometrical components

·         Approximation of the Fourth Dimension.

·         Conceptual, instead of perceptual (reality).

·         Distortion and deformation of known figures and forms in the natural world.

·         Introduction of overlapping and interpenetration of planes.

·         Simultaneity or multiple views (different points of view made visible on one plane).

 After cubism was born and shown to the world, it introduced two phases known as Analytical phase (1910-1912) and (1912 through the 1914).
·         The Analytic phase attempted to show objects as the mind, not the eye perceives them.
·         The Synthetic phase attempted to incorporate characteristics like simple shapes, bright colours, and little to no depth, it was also the birth of collage art in which real objects were incorporated into the paintings.

 Cubism: Ancient versus Contemporary Analysis
Georges Braque (French, 1882-1963). Violin and Palette (Violon et palette), September 1, 1909. Oil on canvas. 91.7 x 42.8 cm (36 1/16 x 16 13/16 in.). 

The “Violin and Palette” is an artwork created by Georges Braque between 1882- 1963. Looking at the portrait, the artist first analysed the subject in this case the artwork and started breaking it down into basic structures from one viewpoint to another then building it up from ground up using various geometric framework, the artwork was built on the emphasise of a more focused representational structure rather than distracting details. We see this by how simple strokes are used to distinguish rather than detail something on the artwork, for example a pentagon represents the bridge, S curves represent the "f" holes, short lines represent strings, and the typical spiral knot with pegs represent the violin's neck, and yet, each element is seen from a different perspective which ultimately distorts the artwork’s reality of it (Willette,2011: no. p). As for the colours used, they are a muted thus unifying all the fragments of the painting together (https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/cubism.htm).

Contemporary Cubism:
Riccardo Guasco (Alessandria Italy), artwork name: La Centi’eme prints, 
Taken on ‎June‎ ‎24‎, ‎2013

This artwork was made by Ricardo Guasco which is one amongst the limited-edition prints made for commemorating the 100 editions of the Rapha Cycle Clubs tours held in Osaka, London, san Francisco and Sydney. The artist here introduces old cubism techniques by breaking the subject of the artwork down then reconstructing it using geometric shape ignoring all the detail and rather focussing on the structure of the artwork as a whole. Muted colours are used as well different perspectives. The artist also brings in some modern techniques to the artwork by designing some of the elements such as the back wheel and some of the human figures limbs digitally illustrating them, this can be seen due to the solid colours used. And lastly unlike traditionally cubism paintings that are painted then left to dry, this one is then digitally printed as a lithographic print (Nesic, 2017: no. p).

 In conclusion cubism weather Analytical or Synthetic it will always be influential in the current times as well as the future to come just as it was in the past decades, and as fro artists of the modern world, they will continue being inspired by the cubist fathers whom introduced this this language and established its laws for if it wasn't for them graphic design and especially logo building would have never existed.



 Reference list


Gersh-Nesic, B (2017). Phases of Cubism: Analytic Cubism.


La Centième Prints (2013). Digital Art Exhibition Design,  Illustration.

Abdou K, R (2018). Cubism: How Picasso and Others Broke from Tradition to Transform Modern Art

Rewald, S (2004). Department of Modern and Contemporary Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
http://www.artmovements.co.uk/cubism.htm

 https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/cubism.htm

 https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-cubism-

 art/https://www.behance.net/gallery/9481425/La-Centieme-

 Printshttps://www.thoughtco.com/analytical-cubism-

 183189https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/cubism.htm

 https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/cubism.htm















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