Cubism and Maya with a Doll by Pablo Picasso - Research Paper Example

Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Cubism and Maya with a Doll by Pablo Picasso Introduction Cubism is remarkable because its style emphasizes the flat, 2-dimensional picture plane’s surface. Cubism projects designate some sense of realism. The conceptual method to realism in cubism art aims at displaying the world the way it is, not the way it seems. The aesthetic value of cubism is that the use of multiple techniques in a fresh way brings out the contemporary form of arts. Cubism which developed between the years 1907 and 1914 in Paris started as an idea which later turned out to be a style (Kahng, 2011). Among the movements in art history during the 20th century, cubism might be the principal influential. It evolved in a period of great experimentation, the time when artists looked beyond what could be reproduced exactly from canvas and paint. Rather than paintings representing the actual nature of a thing, the paintings by cubists tried to illustrate beyond the reserved subject’s appearance. In various ways, the movements strongly opposed one another. The cubists were influenced by Henri Rousseau who was an amateur painter, and Paul Cezanne to follow and depict nature through flowing choice of line as well as a cyclic arrangement of structure. Douglas Cooper, one of the art historians argues that Paul Cezanne and Paul Gauguin were principally influential towards Cubism formation and particularly important to Picasso’s paintings in 1906 and 1907 (Bolton, 2000). Cooper further states that The Demoiselles is generally signified as the primary Cubist picture. Historical response The major artists of cubism were Pablo Picasso who was a Spanish artist, and Georges Braque who was a French artist (Robinson, 2006). They lived in Paris and experimented with splitting forms along geometric plains, thereafter remaking them into shapes. The heavy concentrations on structure led primary paintings of pre-Cubist emphasize the subject’s form. Braque and Picasso obtained inspiration from Oceanic and African sculptures and the earlier artists’ work, who tried to illustrate shapes in character by angles and solid lines. Between 1910 and 1912, there was analytic cubism. Challenging themselves in order to bring about sculptures that are 3-dimensional on a medium that is 2-dimensional, Braque and Picasso made trials through deconstruction of forms, from landscapes and still life to shapes of human (Bolton, 2000). In paintings of analytical cubism, schemes of monochromatic color as well as basic geometry emphasized the subject’s form, and paintings that were beset with density and contrast emerged. Artists tried to illustrate the subject in every angle, instead of the restrictions of the regular vision. Synthetic cubism existed between 1913 and 1914. During this period, the movement evolved. Cubism paintings presented more color use, shifting from grey, blue, beige and brown of former years. The greater application of convex and concave shapes produced visible movement in paintings of synthetic cubist. Collage as an art form appeared, giving the painters the freedom to apply other materials in order to produce art past paint, including cloth, paper, and newsprint (Bolton, 2000). Picasso, Gris, and Braque’s Cubism had passed a formal or technical importance, and the diverse intentions and attitudes of the Cubists of Salon generated dissimilar types of Cubism, instead of their art work’s derivative (Green, 2001). According to Christopher Green, it is evident that to what degree the other Cubists relied on Braque and Picasso for their growth of such practices as passage, faceting and numerous perspective; they may possibly arrived at those techniques with insufficient knowledge of actual Cubism in the initial stages, influenced above everything by their personal knowledge of Cezanne. The exhibition of the works by the Cubists during 1911 and 1912 Salons prolong beyond the traditional subjects of Cezanne; the still-life, landscape and posed model; supported by Braque and Picasso to incorporate subjects that are large scale and modern life (Green, 2001). Targeted at a huge public, their works highlighted the usage of various perspectives and compound planar surfacing for expressive outcomes while maintaining the expression of subjects bestowed with fictional and philosophical implications. The idea that Cubism created a significant connection between beginning of 20th century architecture and art is broadly accepted. The theoretical, historical, and socio-political connections involving ultramodern practices in sculpture, architecture and painting had primary effects in Germany, Czechoslovakia, Netherlands, and France. Even though there are several points of connections between architecture and Cubism, just a few direct connections involving them can be established (Nicholas & Pablo, 2006). Most frequently the intersections are done by indication to mutual formal features: spatial uncertainty, multiplicity, transparency, and surfacing of form. Architectural concern in Cubism focused on the termination and modernization of 3-dimensional form, with plain geometric shapes, which are juxtaposed devoid of false impression of classical viewpoint (Kahng, 2011). There could be superimposition of diverse elements, made visible or make a way into one another, but maintaining their spatial connections. Cubism had turned out to be an influential element in the growth of contemporary architecture from the year 1912 onwards, rising in correspondence with architects like Walter Gropius and Peter Behrens, with the generality of building plan, the usage of appropriate materials to business production, and the raised usage of glass. When the World War I started in 1914, one of the cubist artists Braque, enrolled in army, hence his association with Picasso came to an end (Robinson, 2006). This made the artists to part ways, thus their artwork taking different paths. Picasso started experimenting with Cubist sculpture and both Surrealism and Realism influenced him, whereas Braque concentrated on figure paintings as well as pieces that were single-subject. The Museum of Metropolitan credits both Braque and Picasso with influencing several painters like Jean Metzinger, and Diego Rivera Juan Gris (Nicholas & Pablo, 2006). Their revolutionary style of painting motivated not only upcoming Cubist painters but greatly influenced the Surrealist and Dada movements also. Cubism influence extended to further fields of art, outside sculpture and painting. Within the field of literature, Gertrude Stein’s written works apply recurrence and rhythmic phrases as major elements in passages as well as the entire chapter (Kahng, 2011). A lot Stein’s significant works apply this technique, taking account of the The Makings of Americans’ novel (1906-08). They were not just the first imperative Cubism’s patrons, Gertrude Stein together with Leo who is her brother were also significant influences on Cubism also. In turn, Picasso was a central influence on the writing of Stein. The poets commonly linked to Cubism are Blaise Cendras, max Jacob, Guillaume Apollinaire, and Pierre Reverdy. As explained by Kenneth Rexroth, who was an American poet, Cubism within poetry involves the conscious, intentional dissociation as well as recombination of characteristics into a fresh artistic body made independent by its architecture that is thorough (Raczka, 2009). This is a bit dissimilar from the open connection of Surrealists and the incorporation of unconscious expression and Dada’s political nihilism. Nonetheless, the influence of Cubist poets on Cubism as well as afterward movements of Surrealism and Dada was philosophical. Critical Analysis One of the important art works that define Cubism movement is Maya with a Doll, 1938 done by Pablo Picasso (Bolton, 2000). Maya was Picasso’s daughter. The portrait evidently shows how randomly Picasso handled the new system. Maya, holding a doll within her arm, sat on the floor. Her skirt and legs are made as geometrical blocks, crossed unnaturally; the Cubist’s legacy of dissociation is not mistakable. Maya’s face reveals the common arrangement of frontal and profile angles, both angles not juxtaposed additively in Cubist approach but concurrently present, just like in a photograph that is superimposed. On the contrary, in the face of Dora Maar, two angles are in juxtaposition; for instance the nose is its profile and its normal pose. In Marie-Therese Walter’s portrait the view of profile was the departure point. It was just extended through addition of another eye as well as a heightened, whiter region to imply a cheek. In Picasso’s daughter picture, just like in the portraits of the women, Picasso somewhat retained the proportions that are natural. There is only one outstanding exception: the right arm of the girl was painted in the similar way in which a child could have painted as well, a short remnant ending in shapes that are sketchy that represent five fingers that are spread (Nicholas & Pablo, 2006). According to Picasso, the interesting part in the drawing of children was just the element of recognized construction. Due to this, comparison of Picasso’s work with the drawings of children, even though it might appear an evident one to represent, does not produce a lot of sense. Hence, the similarity is simply superficial and barely ever communicates to individual characteristics. In the Maya with her doll’s portrait, figurative, cubist and childlike methods to create balance with one another in a manner that appears wholly appropriate with the subject, who is a child (Nicholas & Pablo, 2006). The transaction of defining features is suitable in a similar manner. For instance, the doll, compared with the child, has a face that is more human; the eyes that are big, tiny full nose, somewhat pouting lips contribute to a graphic, stylized face of a baby. With the application of such kind of sophisticated juxtapositions, Picasso planned to load straightforward compositions with features of describing quality. Conclusion The style of cubist dominated various decades during the 20th century as a result of the lots of work by Picasso, Braque and Gris, and several other artists engaged in this movement, enabling it to be a very major contribution towards the growth of arts within the century of 20. Architecture and literature are some of the fields that have been influenced by Cubism. This implies that the work is highly creative. In terms of feelings, artistic work of cubism captures ones emotions due to the effects applied like 2-dimension, which also brings out its aesthetic value. Work cited Robinson, Shannon. Cubism. Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 2006. Print. Raczka, Bob. Name That Style: All About Isms in Art. Minneapolis [Minn.: Millbrook Press, 2009. Print. Bolton, Linda. Cubism. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 2000. Print. Nichols, Catherine, and Pablo Picasso. Pablo Picasso. New York: Rosen Pub. Group's PowerKids Press, 2006. Print. Kahng, Eik. Picasso and Braque: The Cubist Experiment, 1910-1912. Santa Barbara, Calif: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 2011. Print. Green, Christopher. Georges Braque, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso. London: Helly Hahmad Gallery, 2001. Print. Read More