Everything Sucks Club: A Lesson On Cubism
Critics of the time tried discount the work by artists with first using it as an insult since the style broke traditional art & style rules - even though it has little to with actual cubes.
Arguably, one of the most well known artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso is one of the most important artist figures to any modern art movement due to his role in defining Cubism and subsequently inspiring the modern genres that followed.
Picasso, along side his colleague Georges Braque created what would be called ‘Cubism’ between 1907 and 1914 while in Paris and then the art movement would continue on in popularity until around 1930. The name itself, ‘Cubism’ came from a French critic named Louis Vauxcelles, who in remarked in 1908 that a painting of Braque’s was composed of ‘cubes’.
Originally in French it read: “Il méprise la forme, réduit tout, sites et figures et maisons, à des schémas géométriques, à des cubes,” // Translated to English: “He despises form and reduces everything, places, shapes and houses, to geometric diagrams, to cubes.” - Louis Vauxcelles, published in the “Supplément à Gil Blas,” in November 14, 1908.
It’s funny how sometimes the simplest comments just *stick* for names and I mean Vauxcelles wasn’t wrong, it did look like it was made of Cubes. As critics further tried to discount the work of these artists by first using it as more an insult since the style broke traditional art styles and rules - even though the movement has very little to do with cubes itself. The name eventually evolved to ‘Cubism’ by 1911 when the Salon des Indépendants, annual independent art exhibition of the time used it.
Analytical vs Synthetic Cubism
There are two periods of Cubism, the earlier (during the development of the art movement from 1910 to 1912) being referred to as Analytical Cubism and the later being Synthetic Cubism from about 1912 to 1914.
During the analytical period, most of the pieces you’re going to see are from Picasso and Braque - and the two are working so close together that their pieces are often indistinguishable from one another. It wasn’t until the second period, Synthetic Cubism, that through things like color and use of mixed-media elements that it becomes easier to tell the two men’s work apart and more artist emerge in the style.
Elements & Characteristics of Cubism:
Composed of geometric shapes (squares, triangles, cones, etc.)
Flattened, 2D look
Objects look fragmented or broken-up (like broken glass)
Rejection of traditional techniques, perspective/foreshortening, figure drawing, use of light and shadow sources
Rejection of principle that ‘art should imitate life’ - which was widely accepted at the time in the art community as the standard
Usually monochromatic or a simplified color pallet
In later works, collage (mixed-media) would be introduced
The Well Known Artists of the Cubism Movement - Other Than Picasso & Braque:
Fernand Léger
This was Léger’s first true Cubism piece, ‘Nudes in the Forest’ was his departure from impressionism. In future works he would play more with color and would even get into cubism in relation to sculpture.
Juan Gris
Originally studying mechanical drawing and contributing to periodicals in Madrid, Gris eventually picked up painting and began studying that medium. In 1906 he moved to Paris and became friends with Picasso, Braque, and Léger and by 1912 Gris had developed his own Cubist style.
Piet Mondrian
Mondrian, while more famous for his later works (right) in what would become abstract and post-modern styles, started in Analytic Cubism and eventually morphed into its own thing, taking on the larger grid, cleaner/crisper lines, and more structure.
December’s Club Designs:
For December, I went with a holiday themed set of emojis - Santa combined with a monocle -because why not - Emoji Face (sticker), Snowman (magnet), Deer (button), Present & New Year’s Firework (mini stickers).
Whoa! Can't wait to read this one, haven't seen a post from you in a minute. I JUST posted my most recent Polyester City yesterday that name checks Tiny Werewolves as its initial inspiration and was going to send out a note tagging you. How crazy! Here's the post:
https://www.polyestercity.com/p/episode-041-simultaneous-dresses