Cubism emerged in the early twentieth century, and generally represented a deconstruction of visual forms. Other defining elements of cubism include the abandonment of perspective and the simultaneous denial of the importance of realistic depictions of the subject ("Cubism"). One of the hallmarks of Cubism was the artists' interest in rendering "the changing experience of space, movement, and time," ("Cubism"). Although much Cubist art is representational, many pieces veered toward abstraction and the movement may be credited with initiating an era of increased abstractionism and non-representational art. One of the most significant examples of Cubism is Picasso's 1907 painting Les Desmoiselles d'Avignon.
Les Desmoiselles d'Avignon
Pablo Picasso
1907
Cubism
Oil on Canvas
This is a seminal piece because it was one of the first examples of Cubism. Picasso depicts women in an unconventional manner by removing their stereotypical curvaceousness and instead using sharp lines and intense angularity. The women appear as if they are shifting through time and space. Some of their faces are almost grotesque, as if they wear carnival masks. Moreover, Picasso depicted their physicality and presence in provocative ways, implying their "blatant sexuality" is both "aggressive" and also "primitive," ("Cubism"). Nudes had long been accepted subject matters for European artists, but Picasso depicts his nudes in completely different ways, shunning...
Following in the tradition that Manet's Olympia established in a similar fashion, Picasso also combines the controversial subject matter with the newly emerging art form of cubism. As the term "cubism" suggests, angles and geometry became far more important than realism. The artist seeks a completely new paradigm and revolutionary means of portraying the natural and human worlds.
Futurism
Following close after and even paralleling cubism, futurism took root in European art, particularly in Germany and Italy. Futurism is defined by its angularity and concern with depicting motion and time, but is far more mechanistic in its approach than cubism. In fact, one of the core goals and defining features of futurism is the "celebration of the fast pace and mechanical power of the modern world," ("Unique Forms of Continuity in Space"). Futurist artists do not offer a critique of technology and its effects on society. In true modernist form, the futurists simply appreciated what technology meant for overall social aesthetics. Futurist art is also similar to cubist art in that it is not fully abstract, still rendering subject matter, and yet its style verges on nonrepresentational art. One of the most important examples of futurist art is Umberto Boccioni's bronze sculpture from 1913 entitled "Unique Forms of Continuity in Space."
Unique Forms…
In essence the Cubists were not only concerned with the development of new artistic techniques, but their experimentation was also concerned with the search for a new and more dynamic perception of reality. As one commentator notes; "The Cubists sought to create spatial abstractions" (the AESTHETIC). As has been stated, Cubism depicts a new reality which was also in essence a form of protest against conventional ideas of both art
" (Cottington, p. 4) Braque was to follow with an equally disjointed yet less controversial -- in subject -- breaking down of the elements of a "Violin and Candlestick" in 1910, and Picasso was subject to the same breaking-down as a subject of another Cubist's painting, Gris, in "Portrait of Picasso." 1912. Douglas Cooper notes in his book, The Cubist Epoch, that the one common aspect of the many different artists
One of the most fascinating and well-known paintings that represents cubism is Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon." Standing at more than eight feet tall, this painting represents five prostitutes waiting at the doors of a brothel (as evidenced by drawn curtains on either side). One of the prostitutes wears an African mask which some believe represents the scourge of venereal disease -- the masks would protect against them. Avignon is a
Cubist Ideas and the Modernist Arts The cubist art work has certain attributes which define its construction and conception. These ideas, clustering around these works of art, were applied to other art forms with varying results. This examination will explore how these new and original ideas about cubism manifested themselves in the productions of art in other genres. The Cubist style must be viewed as an extension of the anti-Romanic, anti-Impressionistic mood
Cubism and Sculpture Cubism as an artistic style and movement began as a revolt against the traditions and the artistic norms of previous centuries. Cubist painters and sculptors like Picasso rejected many of the formally accepted elements of art. These elements included texture, color, subject matter, light as a means of determining form as well as movement and atmosphere. The rejection of representation was also a major aspect of the
His "rose period,' 1905-1906, is characterized by the use of a lighter palette and "greater lyricism, with the subject matter often drawn from circus life" (Picasso pp). Moreover, his studio in Paris drew the major figures of this avant-garde era, such as Matisse, Braque, Apollinaire, and Gertrude Stein (Picasso pp). Picasso's 1907 "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon," was a radical departure from traditional art and is now considered the "most significant work