Cubism

•The world in the early 1900s was changing
dramatically.
•There were many technological advancements
and a lot of scientific discoveries.
•These innovations drastically changed
technology.
•People thought about the world differently.

The Airplane
• In 1903, the Wright Brothers
tested their invention for the
first time in Kitty Hawk,
North Carolina: the
airplane.
• Because of the airplane,
people could travel farther
distances in a much shorter
amount of time.

Electricity
• Electricity was first used in
homes and other buildings
in Greenwich Village, New
York City, during the 1890s,
and by the 1930s, every
urban building had
electricity.
• The standard of living for
people significantly
increased.

The Radio
• In 1895, Guglielmo
Marconi proved that people
could communicate from
far distances using radio
waves; he invented the
radio.
• News and entertainment
was readily available at the
turn of a dial using the
radio.

Nuclear Physics
• A physicist named Ernest
Rutherford developed
nuclear physics.
• He developed the concept of
radioactive half-life and is
credited as the first to “split
an atom.”
• He discoveries led to some
world-changing theories...

The Special Theory of
Relativity
• Albert Einstein came up
with the theory in 1905,
which stated that there is no
absolute position, but rather
we must compare two
objects.
• His theory showed that
space and time were
interconnected, and that
time is not linear.

Quantum Mechanics
• A physicist named Niels
Bohr proposed that all
energy is broken down into
“quanta”.
• A “quantum” is the smallest
amount of matter used in an
interaction.

So what does this all have to
do with Cubism?
•A lot of things!
•Cubism was created as a reaction to the
quickly changing society.
•Cubism was designed as a portrayal of the
space-time continuum and the 4th Dimension.
•That’s why there’s so many different
perspectives in Cubism art!

The Fourth Dimension
• At the time of Cubism, time
was considered the Fourth
Dimension.
• We can move through the
fourth dimension (time), but
only forward.
• We have a video at the end
that kind of explains this if
there’s time...

Fauvism
• Fauvism influenced Cubism
as art did not have to be
realistic.
• Colors were used
expressively, and it was
more stylistic.
“Self-Portrait in the Studio” Derain 1903

Paul Cézanne and Post-
Impressionism
• Influenced Cubism
• Cézanne believed that art
could be more stylistic and
less realistic.
• Things were a little
disproportionate in his
artwork and colors
weren’t exactly realistic.
“Mont Saint-Victoire” Cézanne 1895

African Tribal Art
• Influenced Cubism
• African tribal art influenced
Cubism with its style.
• Faces were angular and
disproportionate.
• The color brown was
used a lot.

Faceting
• Multiple perspectives on
one surface
• Different ways of seeing the
subject matter.
• Using light and dark tones
to capture the effect.

Characteristics
•Figures and objects simplified by using geometric
shapes.
•Approximation of the fourth dimension.
•Paintings are conceptual, rather than perceptual.
•Distortion and deformation of known figures and
forms in the natural world.
•The overlapping of geometric planes.
•Different points of view made visible on one plane.

Georges Braque
• Worked closely with
Picasso, their work was very
similar and sometimes hard
to tell apart.
• Was inspired by Cezanne.
• “Once an object has been
incorporated in a picture it
accepts a new destiny.” -Georges
Braque

Georges Braque
“Houses at L’Estaque” “Viaduct at L’Estaque”
Braque 1908 Braque 1908

Analytical Braque
• Breaking down of forms
• Monochromatic
• Focus on multiple views
“Violin with Palette”
Braque 1909

“Candlestick and Playing Cards on a Table” Braque 1910

Synthetic Braque
• papier collé
• Text included
• trompe-l'oeil wood-grain
technique
“Woman with a Guitar” Braque 1913

“Still Life with Tenora” Braque 1913

Fernand Léger
• Focus on color and shape
rather than planes and
forms.
• Fascination with mechanical
objects, technology, and
people in motion.
• “Man needs color to live; it's
just as necessary an element as
fire and water.” -Fernand Léger

“Soldiers Playing Cards” Léger 1917

“The Mechanic” Léger 1920

“Three Women” Léger 1921

Pablo Picasso
• Worked with Braque.
• Picasso went through many
artistic phases throughout
his career; one of them was,
of course, Cubism.
• “I paint objects as I think them,
not as I see them.” -Pablo
Picasso

“The Old Guitarist” Picasso 1903

“Garçon à la Pipe” Picasso 1905

“Three Musicians” Picasso 1921

“Les DemoiSelles D’Avignon” Picasso 1907

“Girl with Mandolin” Picasso 1910

“Portrait of Ambrose Vollard” Picasso 1910

“The Accordionist” Picasso 1911

“Three Women at the Spring” Picasso 1921

“Guernica” Picasso 1937

“Interior with a Girl Drawing” Picasso 1935

“Two Women by the Sea” -1922

Juan Gris
• Painted mostly still-lives in a
synthetic cubist style, using
bold colors and collage
techniques, which blended
with Art Deco.
• Consistently dedicated to
the style.
• “I prefer the emotion that
corrects the rule” -Juan Gris

“Still Life with Open Window, Rue Ravignan” Gris 1915

“Still Life with Pears and Grapes on a Table” Gris 1913

Reactions to Cubism
•Cubism was not widely known at the time, but its
reactions were, surprisingly, mostly positive.
•“It is the man who challenges and denies who stirs other
men to think for themselves.That is the chief value of the
Cubist painting – they compel us to think for ourselves, to
take careful inventory of our stock of stereotyped
notions...” -Jerome Eddy, Art Critic

Effects of Cubism on Art
•Cubism was the first form of abstract art.
•It showed that artists don’t just have to paint
realistically, and art can be the expression of ideas
and concepts.
•Today, we see many other forms of abstract
art, which were all basically influenced by the
ideas behind Cubism.

Understanding the Fourth Dimension Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOuXtONDAN0