CUBISM
When you think about it, the idea of portraying 3-dimensional objects on a 2-dimensional surface is rather a contradictory one. Picasso, Braque and Gris explored this contradiction in their paintings, between 1907 and 1914.
They felt that they were being more honest and more realistic, by recognizing the problems in depicting the world two-dimensionally, than artists who tried to create an illusion of reality. They tried to create a more complex version of reality in their paintings. The main device they used was their rejection of the perspective from one single angle. Objects are shown from various angles. Can you recognise the various angles in the portrait of Dora Maar? If you look carefully, you can distinguish different points of views in this portrait, the full face, three-quarter of the face and the profile. Picasso shows us all the aspects of the portrait on one flat surface. This is one of the main characteristics of Cubism. |
PICASSO
When Picasso was nine, he finished his first painting, Le picador. It shows a man on a horse at a bullfight. When he started painting, he used a realistic style. He began to experiment with different techniques and styles. When he was 13, he was admitted to the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, Spain. When he was 16, Picasso’s father and uncle decided to send him to Madrid’s Royal Academy of San Fernando. This was Spain’s top art school. He did not like formal instruction and soon stopped going to classes. He loved Madrid and enjoyed going to The Prado museum to see paintings by famous Spanish painters.
The paintings below are made when Picasso was only 15/16 years old.
The paintings below are made when Picasso was only 15/16 years old.
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