Cubism - Creating a Picture With Geometric Shapes

At the beginning of the 20th century, Cubism shook the foundations of visual arts. No previous epoch wanted to break more radically with the prevailing conventions in painting. The artists of Cubism rejected the traditional notion that painting should depict pictorial objects as realistically as possible and developed new principles for pictorial composition.

The construction and deconstruction of pictorial objects using geometric shapes, the rejection of classical perspective, and the initial steps towards abstraction were some of the groundbreaking innovations brought about by Cubism. The epoch began around 1907, but by the beginning of the First World War, it was already gradually dissolved. Despite its relatively short duration compared to other styles, it was enough to initiate fundamental changes in painting.

Braque and Picasso - An Artist Duo Revolutionises Painting

The development of Cubism is inseparably linked to two names: Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. At the turn of the 20th century, both of them independently sought new forms of artistic expression.

Picasso: questioning Traditional Forms of Creation

Spanish artist Pablo Picasso studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, but soon after leaving the academy, he began to question traditional forms of artistic creation. He consistently aimed for artistic development. The established styles of the turn of the century, such as Impressionism, Symbolism, or Art Nouveau, served as inspirations for him to develop his own imagery.

From the beginning of the 20th century, Picasso also became increasingly involved with the art of other cultures. He was fascinated by the reduced artistic form concept of African sculptures and tribal masks and recognisably incorporated their aesthetics into his works. He also drew inspiration from European artists, such as El Greco, Henri Rousseau, and Paul Gauguin. However, he held a particular admiration for Paul Cézanne (1839 - 1906). It was above all, his late work, and his fundamental reflections on the mode of representation that significantly influenced Picasso.

Cézanne had already moved beyond the desire to realistically depict objects. According to his theory, all pictorial objects could be represented using spheres, cylinders, and cones. Under this influence, Picasso also gradually abandoned the natural representation of proportions. The Spanish artist began to use the first stylistic elements that could clearly be attributed to Cubism in 1906 - in his painting "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon", which would become a key work of the entire epoch.

Georges Braque: Mixing Geometric Shapes and Perspectives

Almost at the same time as Picasso, French artist Georges Braque developed a very similar concept of pictorial composition and the representation of objects. Like Picasso, Braque admired Paul Cézanne but also the Fauves, especially Henri Matisse. However, Braque also departed from existing styles such as Fauvism or Impressionism and followed his own path. He increasingly worked with geometric shapes and mixed several perspectives within a single picture.

Finally, at the end of 1908, Picasso and Braque were introduced to each other by the writer Guillaume Apollinaire. They quickly became close friends and began a highly creative and productive collaboration. Their cooperation resembled a research mission that extended far beyond painting. They dealt with the process of vision and the processing of optical impressions in the brain. At the same time, they continued to experiment with painting techniques.

The Beginnings: Analytical Cubism and Its Characteristics

The work of Braque and Picasso marked the first major phase of Cubism and is known today as "Analytic Cubism". Although the artists of Cubism painted representationally, they were no longer committed to realism. Instead, they analysed objects and sought a mode of representation that could capture as many manifestations of an object as possible simultaneously.

The most prominent features of Cubism in this initial stage were the fragmented and geometric design of the pictorial objects, as well as the unconventional use of perspectives. Braque and Picasso focused on basic forms and often defined pictorial objects only by their contours. They progressively reduced their colour palette and worked mainly using muted tones like brown, grey, beige, blue and black. Achieving the goal of presenting different views of an object simultaneously raised questions about selecting angles of view and lighting direction.

The artists of Cubism departed from the traditional division of the picture of foreground, middle ground, and background, as well as the central perspective. Instead, they attempted to depict as many features as possible, typically seen from different angles, simultaneously. This groundbreaking approach quickly caused a sensation in the European art scene. Other artists of the time, such as Juan Gris or Robert Delaunay, also began to take an interest in this novel philosophy of painting.

The Further Development: Synthetic Cubism

The artists of Cubism, however, did not stick to the style they had once found but continued to develop it. From about 1912 onwards, Cubism entered its second major phase, now referred to as "Synthetic Cubism".

In this phase, the artists diversified their approach on several levels. Probably the most significant change was reversing their approach to composition. Unlike Analytical Cubism, where objects were dissected and broken down into parts, they were now constructed primarily from abstract forms. The picture emerged from a synthesis of different objects. Cubist artists arranged all pictorial objects on an equal footing within a single flat plane, avoiding any impression of spatiality.

What was particularly striking was that the artists of Cubism not only further developed the composition of the picture but also the materials with which they worked. They began incorporating everyday objects into their oil paintings. For example, they glued paper and newspaper clippings, wallpaper, textiles, glass, sand, or wood onto the canvas. In this way, they laid the foundation for various techniques that emerged in the following decades, such as collage, object art and ready-made.

With the introduction of new materials, they also expanded their colour palette. They used brighter, stronger, and more colourful colours, combining multiple hues within a single picture. Finally, Synthetic Cubism once again questioned the self-image of art. Cubist artists no longer regarded the creation of an art object merely as a means to an end. Instead, they understood the artistic process as an end in itself. A work of art should no longer serve to just depict objects but was rather regarded as an autonomous entity with which a new reality was created.

The Reception of Cubism and Its Influence on Art History

Like so many progressive and avant-garde forms of expression in art, Cubism initially faced challenges in painting. Reactions from the general public ranged from complete incomprehension to rejection.

At the beginning of the 20th century, other styles, such as Impressionism and Symbolism dominated the European art market and art academies, leaving little room for progressive movements. The influential Parisian art critic Louis Vauxcelles, in particular, aggressively criticised the artists of Cubism and ridiculed their work.

Cubism in Painting: Positive Reception

The artists found a great advocate in the German-born gallery owner Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler. Kahnweiler was very committed to the young artists of Cubism and organised the first exhibitions with them as early as 1908. European artists also showed interest in Cubist works. Influences of Cubism were later found, among others, in Marcel Duchamp, who would achieve worldwide fame with his ready-made, as well as Bauhaus artists Oskar Schlemmer and Lyonel Feininger.

German Expressionists such as Franz Marc, August Macke and Paul Klee also drew inspiration from geometric shapes. The impact of Cubism extended deep into the 20th century, influencing movements such as Futurism, Surrealism, Abstraction, Constructivism and Pop Art.

The Art Movement Cubism Today

Today, art historians universally acknowledge the significant contribution of Cubist artists to the evolution of visual art. Picasso, Braque and all the other artists of Cubism of the early 20th century are undisputed pioneers of painting. Through their innovative way of thinking about art, they transcended the narrow stylistic constraints of their time, laying the foundation for abstract art.