ARTHISTORY FINALE P2: Cubism

CUBISM

In Cubism, it happened during the same age as Surrealism which was during the World War I. In the second phase of Cubism, Synthetic Cubists explored the use of non-art materials as abstract signs. Their use of newspaper would lead later historians to argue that, instead of being concerned above all with form, the artists were also acutely aware of current events, particularly World War I. A style of abstract art that developed in the early 20th century same as Surrealism, they sought to reject traditional western art, in particular, perspective, which artists had been seeking to represent since the renaissance. It is often associated with the artists Georges Barques and Pablo Picasso whose shared interest in the later works of Paul Cezanne led them to develop a style of their own. Cezanne himself felt that perspective was a way of denying the essential difference between reality and a painting, and so flattened his image and explored the surfaces and qualities of his 2 dimensional canvases. Even though it happened during the same age but the style of both art which are Surrealism and Cubism were different. Cubism was a movement that arose between 1907 and 1911 which fluidified the transition from Realism to Abstraction, by geometrizing reality before it became completely abstracted.Formally, it is also important for having shown how reality can be represented as seen from different perspectives simultaneously.Surrealism was a movement that arose in the early 1920s which, in painting, portrayed mainly the world of dreams and the deformations and associations produced by the subconscious. Paul Cezanne and Pablo Picasso are the most famous artists of Cubism art during that age. Cubism was partly influenced by the late work of artist Paul Cezanne in which he can be seen to be painting things from slightly different points of view. Pablo Picasso was also inspired by African tribal masks which are highly stylised, or non-naturalistic, but nevertheless present a vivid human image. ‘A head’, said Picasso, ‘is a matter of eyes, nose, mouth, which can be distributed in any way you like’.

Weeping Woman (1937)- Pablo Picasso. Tate, London

This paint was made to tell that , when interpreted against the background of the ongoing civil war in Spain, is fairly straightforward. Formally dressed, as though at a funeral or other place of mourning, she represents the harrowing grief experienced by mothers, sisters and others, following the death of a loved one, especially during wartime. As in Guernica, the focus is on the pain and suffering endured by innocent civilians. Based on this painting we can see that Despite the bright colors used by the artist, the painting is extremely sad. It’s very interesting how he managed to empathize the woman and use such colors at the same time. Anyone looking at the weeping woman by Pablo Picasso feels and understands the indescribable grief that can be seen in her eyes.After the very first look at the picture, you immediately start to contemplate about what happened to her. This great pain and suffering make us unwittingly sympathize with her. Maybe she lost a loved one, and her heart is torn apart. It’s well known that Picasso had a great ability to convey emotions.