Cubism or Fauvism - Essay Example

Unlike Fauvism, Cubism breaks up objects, analyzes and re-assembles them in abstracted forms. Therefore, rather than view objects from a single viewpoint, Cubism depicts its subjects in multiple viewpoints, representing them in greater context. Like in Picasso’s Houses on the hill, he uses block-resembling, cubic buildings to portray an image of houses on a divergent, rather than convergent, perspective. The intersection of the surfaces at random angles eliminates depth and a central vanishing point.

This is further enhanced by the use of shades and the way colors are limited. Fauvism, on the other hand, used strong colors, which were not their subjects’ natural colors, to successfully bring out strong emotions, like shown by Henri Matisse’s Dance. He based it on his previous work that used less details and paler colors. It shows five, nude dancing figures in deep red paint. They are set against the sky in deep blue and a green landscape. Reflecting the artist’s interest in primitive art, Dance stretches out three clearly clashing colors on the canvas, with each drawing attention to itself.

By reducing its subjects into their geometric forms, Cubism was able to make works done in 2-D appear as if they were done in 3-D. Artists were able to use geometric styles to simultaneously show a subject in more than one aspect. In Fauvism, the objects were painted in very simple designs and styles, with strong colors compensating for the simplicity. Although they did not appear realistic in comparison to real life objects., they were more realistic in comparison to objects painted in Cubist style.

Part B The style I find more appealing is Fauvism. Cubism presents a more complicated form of art that is not easily translated. For example, in Picasso’s Houses on the hill, one may not recognize within the first glance that they are actually houses shown in a view that flows upward. This aspect is emphasized by the way the houses are intersected, shown from different angles on the same surface and lack of depth. The lack of depth also gives the impression that the furthest houses are above, rather than behind, those in the foreground.

On the other hand, in Fauvism, the emotions brought to mind by the style of colors are immediately felt (Gerdts, 1997). For example, they way Matisse puts three exaggerated colors next to each other in Dance, he is able to portray the sky and earth as active components of the painting, rather than mere backgrounds. The warmth of the deep red dancers arranged in a ring against a cool background in blue-green creates a feeling of the rhythmical succession that is usually conveyed by dancing. A viewer can instantly feel the emotional liberation and