Cubism

The Weeping Woman by Pablo Picasso

Cubism was invented around 1907 in Paris by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. It was the first abstract style of modern art which evolved at the beginning of the 20th century. In Cubist artworks, objects are broken up, analyzed, and re-assembled in an abstracted form. Instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater context. A typical Cubist painting depicts real people, places or objects. It will show you many parts of the subject at one time, viewed from different angles, and reconstructed in a composition of planes, forms, and colours.

Brief History of Cubism
In the four decades from 1870-1910, western society witnessed more technological progress than in the previous four centuries. During this period inventions such as photography, cinematography, sound recording, the telephone, the motor car and the airplane became more and more popular. Photography had begun to replace painting as the the tool to documenting the age and artists needed a more radical approach, a 'new way of seeing' that expanded the possibilities of art in the same way that technology was extending the boundaries of communication and travel. This new way of seeing was called Cubism. The Cubists was influenced by art from other cultures, especially African masks. Below is one of the artworks of Pablo Picasso that was influenced by the African masks.
 

Left: Head of a Woman, Right: Dan Mask

Cubism had two distinct phases. The early phase which lasted until about 1912 (pre 1912) was called Analytical Cubism. Here the artist analyzed the subject from many different viewpoints and reconstructed it within a geometric framework, the overall effect of which was to create an image that evoked a sense of the subject. These fragmented images were unified by the use of a subdued and limited palette of colours.

Violin and Jug by Georges Braque

Synthetic Cubism (post 1912) was influenced by the introduction of of bold and simple collage shapes. It moved away from the unified monochrome surfaces of Analytic Cubism to a more direct, colourful and decorative style.

Still Life with Mandolin and Guitar by Pablo Picasso

Artist of Cubism

One of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century is Pablo Picasso, who was born in Spain (1881-1973) and is best known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage, and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore. He was a painter, draughtsman, and sculptor.

Girl on a Pillow by Pablo Picasso

Elements of Design

Lines: Interchanging lines
Colours: Wide range of colours were used from dark colours to light colours such as dark blue and black to light blue and yellow.
Values: Light and dark colours give a mild contrast.
Texture: Smooth (visual texture).
Shape: Geometric and hand free.
Proportion: The figures are stretched, contorted and twisted.

Principles of Design

Balance: The images and shapes span the entire surface.
Rhythm and Movement: The angles of the head and reaching arms in Picasso's artwork seem to give the figures the appearance of movement.
Emphasis and Variety: No one area seems to be emphasized more than another.This piece definitely uses several elements of design such as lines, colours, shapes and others.
Harmony and Unity: The uniquely drawn figures give this piece a sense of visual harmony and appears to be unified.