Overview of Cubism, Its Analytical and Synthetic Phases

The early twentieth-century gave rise to a contemporary art movement that flourished throughout Europe. This era witnessed a variety of artistic styles intrinsic to the developmental changes that were simultaneously occurring in society. The beginning of the twentieth-century was marked by a period of extensive changes as well as social, economic and technological developments. With the tragedy and destruction brought on by the First World War, the general public sought a means to escape. As the presence of classical art waned, an increase of nationalistic ideals spurred a new movement. Art, at this time, was consistent with the shifting ideologies of the people. Artists now sought to create works reflective of subject matter like reality, perspective, and the perception of time. Advancements made in science and psychology most notably, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and Freud’s psychoanalytic theories, contributed to the introduction of new subject matter and the development of a new style, cubism.

Cubism was arguably one of the most groundbreaking movements of its time, challenging Renaissance ideals and perceptions of space. Techniques like perspective and three-dimensionality were replaced by experimentation with flat surfaces, linear construction and monochromatic color pallets. The term Cubism was coined in the year of 1908 by critic Louis Vauxcelles. Henri Matisse, French painter and colorist, in an attempt to describe Braque’s landscape paintings to Vauxcelles explained that they looked as they were comprised of cubes. The term ‘cubism’ since then had gained great popularity among the press and was even used to describe this stylistic approach beginning in 1911. Cubism, in its simplest form is an avant-garde artistic movement, partly influenced by artists like Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Cubist artists sought to create an art form that was consistent with the birth of the modern age. The movement was popularized throughout the twentieth-century but remains highly influential in the techniques and styles employed by artists in latter artistic movements like Futurism, Constructivism, and Abstract Expressionism.

Cubism has transformed painting and sculpture and has taken form in other artistic (literature, architecture and music) movements. The root of Cubism officially began between the years of 1907 and 1914 in Paris when Picasso had introduced his first pre-Cubist painting, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon to Georges Braque. The painting, known for its blatant and arguably crude nature was deemed a radical choice by the general public. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon depicts five nude women suggestively postured to provoke an overt sexual interest. Their faces appear mask-like, distinctive of Picasso’s derived inspiration from Iberian sculptures and African masks. In addition, the painting exhibits Picasso’s desire to stray away from three-dimensionality. The women in the image, are instead projected on a flattened plane separated by geometric shapes. Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon attracted the attention of Braque, who later collaborated with Picasso to trailblaze a new movement that would serve as the most influential of its time. The early phase of Cubism was coined as analytical cubism. Lasting from 1908 to 1912, analytical cubism abandoned the previously used two-dimensional and three-dimensional artistic techniques, and was taken a step further to create a fourth dimension.

For years, artists like Brunelleschi and Masaccio applied elements of linear perspective to their work. Based on one singular viewpoint, this technique reflected a fixed point in space at a fixed point in time. The fathers of cubism believed that a single perspective was not effective in conveying reality and was ultimately a dishonest approach. Cubism, according to Picasso and Braque, would be a shift away from emotional representations and instead, toward a more systematic and logical approach. To achieve the fourth-dimension and multiple perspectives (depicting both movement and time) Picasso and other artists of his time, strived to create a sense of simultaneity. His images were to show all visible sides of an object simultaneously, an idea that he believed to be realistic from a conceptual viewpoint. The ambiguous space was occupied by geometric shapes, overlapping planes, several viewpoints, fragmented forms and a monochromatic color scheme. By reducing the color palette to shades like black, brown and gray, the focus of the image became the density and structure of the form. Analytical cubism, though often appearing abstract, is actually an enhanced example of realism. Commonly used subjects were examples of still life objects including bottles, faces and figures, or musical instruments. Picasso’s popularization of simultaneity led to its continuation and existence in latter artistic movements like Orphism and abstract art.

During these movements, artists fused together the concept of time as well as the physical appearance of their subject matter. Facets belonging to past and present were often depicted on the same image. This merging laid the groundwork for Surrealism, as many notable artists sought to combine abstract with reality, symbolizing the depths of the conscious and subconscious mind. Picasso’s 1910 painting, Portrait of Ambroise Vollard, is regarded as the birth of this new style known as analytical cubism. Picasso’s depiction of the famed art-collector and dealer, Ambroise Vollard, was portrayed by a dismemberment of his figure through an apparent shattered mirror. Despite the surrounding fragmentation, Vollard’s nose, eyes, and solemn facial expression remain clearly visible to the viewer. The crystal shards are represented by the layering of multiple flat, geometric planes intersecting at a variety of points. The focus of the painting, like many other of its kind, lies solely in the geometric structure. As previously mentioned, analytical cubism is achieved through the deconstruction of objects and the rearrangement of its parts to create an optical approach that is both multifaceted and honest. For years, this style would be prevalent in paintings until it was suddenly abandoned and replaced by what became known as synthetic cubism in 1912. Synthetic cubism was an unprecedented medium that focused on the synthesis of various forms depicted in the image.

Sometimes, mixed media was used to draw attention to the visual aesthetics, and divert from the subject matter, itself. The presence of an expanded color palette became increasingly important to the overall piece, allowing for a more decorative and elaborate representation of its shapes. Texture also assumed a large role in the construction of many paintings, utilizing both smooth and rough surfaces on the canvas. Artists sometimes plastered newspaper print cutouts, cloths and text to create a collagelike effect. This can be seen in the works of papier collé by Braque. Braque first utilized this technique in his most famous papier collé piece, Fruit Dish and Glass. Highly influential in the synthetic phase of cubism, Braque valued the surface and texture of the painting. While working in the south of France with Picasso, Braque observed a roll of wallpaper in a shop window, that would later serve as the basis for his piece. Braque combined sections of the wood-grain wallpaper with shaded charcoal drawings to create a sense of texture and depth. In Fruit Dish and Glass, specifically, the simulated wood has been used to represent a drawer on a table, the floor or even the wall of a bar. Works like Fruit Dish and Glass revolutionized cubism and paved the way for future artists who would employ these stylistic techniques in their work. Juan Gris, among many others, was an illustrator who was heavily influenced by the works of Braque and Picasso. After meeting Picasso in 1906 in Paris, Gris became familiarized with analytic cubist ideals and assisted in the development of the movement as a whole. In his Homage à Pablo Picasso, Gris represents his mentor, Picasso, through a series of fractured parts carefully organized to form planes and various shapes on the canvas. Gris suggestively pays tribute to Picasso through his refined portraiture and color pallet, demonstrating him as respectable and a master of his craft.

As the novelty of cubism slowly began to diminish around 1914, André Lhote became the first artist to introduce a new spin on cubism that would have lasting effects on the future of art. Lhote employed cubist techniques to his landscape paintings. Lhote rejected the theory of movement present in preceding cubist works. Lhote formed and became the master of his own school of thought. His painting, Sur La Terrasse, reflects his unique stylistic approach to cubism, depicted in a natural setting. Lhote’s success was determinant on his ability to make use of an already-established technique and utilize it in such a way that would harmonize with his own traditionalist perspective. The balance achieved by Lhote and many artists of his time, was instrumental to the further development of cubism for years after the introduction of the movement. Cubism revolutionized art in a modern world of shifting perspectives. The change brought on by economic, psychological and societal factors is crucial in understanding the movement’s influence throughout history. Artists like Picasso, Braque and Gris were able to convey an unprecedented form of reality in their paintings through a myriad of viewpoints. Cubism’s idiosyncratic nature and rejection of conventional techniques are reflective of its impact on twentieth-century life.