Having emerged at the same time with Fauvism, Cubism played a major role in the formation of formalistic painting. Its history can be traced back to 1907 when Paris hosted its discovery by the formalistic movement. The founders of Cubism were the expressionist painters Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. In fact, cubism painter were basing on Cézanne's statement that the groundwork of nature was represented by simple geometric forms, such as a sphere, cylinder and cone, though Cézanne himself did not expose the geometrical structure of things, thus only implying it while constructing volumetric figures (Strickland, Boswell 113-117).
In essence, the paintings of cubists witness the decompositions of things into constituent parts, into the simplest geometric forms which form not the thing of reality, but rather random schemes, the so-called "new reality" created by the free imagination of the artist. The real world with its variety of forms is absorbed with geometrical ones that oppress with their heavy tension, rhythmic dissonances, and sharp shifts in flatness. Volumes are depicted from various points of view and turn into a mechanical combination of separate parts. Hence, the actual reality appears broken and flowing on cubists' paintings.
Traditionally, the main features of Cubism are represented by the absolute lack of chiaroscuro and perspective, the elements that are quite habitual for traditional art (Lauder et al 107-113) (Pedoe, 50-62). This means that if for Impressionism the main instrument was represented by light, Cubism attempted to maximally employ the possibilities of space. With that, the very concept of the painting occupied the first place, making artistry appear sidelined. Furthermore, frequently resorted to the depiction of a thing from different perspectives, which was a special artistic means introduced by Cubism. The obtained pieces were further united into one image. If traditional art tried to reproduce light by using color, light and perspective, the artists who were engaged in the motives of Cubism created in the abstract, claiming that nothing can remain unchanged even within a moment.
Then, the period of 1907-1910 introduced the so-called stereo-metric Cubism, which also fostered the transformation of artistic reality, changing it radically (Gale Group 90). All various forms filling reality are fragmented into cubes. The adherents of Cubism refuse from perspective, attempt to demonstrate figures from different angles, at the same time neglecting traditional foreshortenings. What is more, Cubist artists are known for their frequent use of reverse perspective. The year of 1910 witnessed the period of analytical Cubism. During this period, the space of paintings is occupied by the pieces of the depicted thing. Appearing close to each other, these parts permeate and cross one another. Since 1912, there took place the time of synthetic Cubism, which is also called Cubism of performance, with its pictures peculiar for decorativeness and resembling collages.
Throughout the entire evolution of Cubism, however, the main criteria of its evaluation have always been ascribed to constructiveness and geometric perfection rather than its idealistic aesthetic content. The refusal to transfer the qualitative originality of phenomena of the real life urged artists to enter the world of clean forms where the law of the balance of chaotic volumes, color patches and linear rhythm always appear dominant. As a result, the real world is bleached. The coloristic decision taken during the early period of Cubism were limited by formal, almost monochrome colors, such as those of dark brown, steel gray, lime green, ocherous and white.
In their search for the so-called "primary elements" of things, cubists actually refused from the image of a person as the object of art per se, from studying its visible appearance, the beauty of his body, as well as from the transfer of sensations, ideas and comprehension of the social content of life. The ideal of a beautiful person, as well as the entire surrounding world, is destroyed due to deformation and fragmentation of forms. Cubism found its reflection in the anti-humane movement of the bourgeois culture of the 20th century. Subsequently, its influence on the further development of formalistic art was immense.
Indeed, the primary motive of Cubism signifies complete break with the realistic depiction of nature, which had been a dominant trait of the European art since the times of the Renaissance (Pedoe 83-88). Picasso's and Braque's aims are represented by constructing a three-dimensional figure on flatness, along with its fragmentation into geometric elements. Both artists were attracted to simple and tangible forms, as well as unpretentious plots, which was especially peculiar for the early period of Cubism called Cézanne's one. In turn, this early version of Cubism was formed under the influence of African sculpture and the works of Cézanne himself (Strickland, Boswell 113-117).
However, the first thing that comes to mind while analyzing the inwardness of Cubism is Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. The painting was created in 1907 and marked the actual birth of Cubism. Thinking over the plot of the canvas, the artist made a few sketches that initially portrayed a tempting scene in a brothel, although Picasso later made up his mind with five naked figures and a still-life. The figures of the maidens are depicted in outline, lack of chiaroscuro and perspective is observed, the background is fragmented into shards of different shape (Pedoe, 50-62). In the same year, Picasso gets acquainted with Georges Braque who had already demonstrated his success in Fauvism. Hence, together they become the founders of Cubism.
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, in turn, shocked public due to the stunning effect achieved through innovation. The work of Picasso pose many issues that would be further answered by Cubism. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon lacks any perspective and chiaroscuro, the massive and loaded figures of the maidens are deformed and roughened (Lauder et al 107-113). What is more, the flatness of the painting incised into harsh segments, and the faces of several characters represent African masks. The picture witnesses the neglect of organic integrity of the human body and its proportions. The images create the effect of three-dimensionality, with edges, wedges and angles obscured to represent the image of a certain solidified space or translucent bodies, which, in its essence, is holistic, uninterrupted and streamlined. The portrayed figures are created in an unusual way. The left silhouette resembles somewhat Assyrian and Egyptian reliefs. The feminine figures placed in the centre appear to be the painting of the Romans temples of Catalonia, with its peculiar mystical lyricism. The faces of the right figures remind of African expressions, they even seem to be aware of some sinister magic ritual. On the whole, Picasso attempted to transfer a three-dimensional form onto flatness, fragment it into geometric components, embed expressive deformation and express grotesque.
With that, the Picasso's painting marked Cézanne's period in Cubism. Indeed, Cubist artists took many from Cézanne, including the infringement of perspective, the demonstration of things simultaneously from several angles, color restraint, solidity, ponderability and stability of dimensions, as well as the principle of reduction of the portrayed things to the forms of a cylinder, sphere and cone (Southgate 18). Though the paintings of cylinders, spheres and cones initiated any artistic education, Cubists found the highest justification of their experiments in this principle.
Soon after the first visit of Picasso, George Braque makes his response to the innovative painting of the Spanish artist. Though it may seem less courageous than Picasso's work, the Portuguese of Braque establishes the unique approach to Cubism brought by the French artist. While it can be argued that Braque's Cubism is somewhat more rational, Picasso's Cubism appears a little more insane. Considering his Portuguese, it becomes clear that for Braque Cubism was something stable, balanced and methodical, represented a certain formula, unlike Picasso, for whom the same Cubism represented an extraordinary trial that is permeated with mystery. Hence, Picasso promoted his Cubism is something belonging to the sphere of intuitional, expressive and emotional.
At the same time, Braque, who had just become from colorfully sprawling Fauvism, had to restrain himself on the way towards the color purism of Cubism. On the contrary, Picasso disciplined himself on the part of lines, he was a natural-born and virtuous artist. With that, an undeniable innovation of Braque observed in the Portuguese is represented by the use of different letters, figures, treble clefs and piece of words, which created a strange combination of two initially opposite semantic spaces. Braque seems to depict both real and symbolic elements which eventually became united into one space due to convergence. As a result, a sign became a real thing, with an image acquiring the quality of a sign.
Therefore, considering its outrageous innovations in terms of colors and perspective, it can be stated that Cubism has had a most controversial impact on world art. On one hand, artists attempted to convey their attitude towards the surrounding life, which appear a positive moment in the development of the entire fine arts. However, what is also true is that cubists simply splashed out their view of life, and that was the end, since by the 1920s Cubism had virtually ceased to exist, thus giving way to minimalism and op art. At the same time, abstract art appears a relative movement that evidently bear a number of similarities with Cubism, with both tendencies attempting to depict real objects myriads of crossing flats, which create the image of certain rectilinear figures that reproduce live nature. Nonetheless, despite its weakened positions in the subsequent evolution of art, the works of Picasso and Braque continue to live and are the value of modern society. Therefore, the positive influence of Cubism on world art should be considered as something more significant than merely a splash of emotions and imagination.
Works Cited
Gale Group. Twentieth-century Literary Criticism. Cengage Gale, 1999. 90. Print.
Lauder, Leonard A., Emily Braun, and Rebecca A. Rabinow. Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. 107-113. Print.
Pedoe, Daniel. Geometry and the Visual Arts. New York: Dover Publications, 1983. 50-62, 83-88. Print.
Southgate, M. Therese. The Art of JAMA: Covers and Essays from The Journal of the American Medical Association. Vol. 3. OUP USA, 2011. 18. Print.
Strickland, Carol, and John Boswell. The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-modern. Kansas City: Andrews and McMeel, 1992. 113-117. Print.
