The Beginning of Cubist Art

Since mankind first learned to make pictures, individual styles of art have existed. Each one has its own distinguishing features. Cubism, or Cubist Art is no exception. Originating in the early 1900’s, this form of art is considered to be an extension of the work of Paul Cézanne. He is credited with being the first artist to use shapes to represent nature.

The two key artists who gave life to Cubism were Pablo Picasso from Spain and Georges Braque of France. Their work is thought to have been strongly influenced by Paul Cézanne. The original concept behind Cubism is to break the subject into pieces, analyze the pieces, and reassemble them in an abstract manner. The idea is to depict the object from various points of view instead of the more traditional two or three dimensions. The result is a more complex and visually stimulating work of art.

The inspiring feature of Cubist art is that several artists have used the technique in a way that was very different than Picasso and Braque. Artists like Robert Delaunay and Jacques Villon are credited with a unique twist of Cubism.

Like other art techniques, Cubism splintered again and resulted in what is known as Synthetic Cubism. Instead of taking one object and breaking it into distinct pieces and reforming the object into an abstract form of itself, synthetic cubism takes several different objects and reforms them to be a single picture while retaining the physical characters of the individual objects. Collages and papier colle were used by both Picasso and Braque in some of their work. Pablo Picasso’s famous painting “Still Life with Chair Caning” is an example of his use of collage. Georges Braque modified the technique when he used papier colle in his work “Fruitdish and Glass.” Before this time, pasting other types of materials onto a canvas to create a new look was completely unheard of. This method allows the artist to add visual interest and appealing texture to their art.

Art in any form, whether performed, read, or seen, often reflects the era in which it was created. Cubist art was a direct result of the political unrest in the years before World War I. Some Cubism artists were die-hard nationalists and very dedicated to the governments of their respective countries. Others were attempting to display their leftist leanings or even anarchist attitude. The abstract composition of Cubism was easily manipulated by the individual artist to express their feelings and thoughts toward that time of serious disillusionment. Examples of Cubism can be seen in literature and music from this time period as well.

Some art experts believe that Cubism art was influenced by traditional African tribal art and even Italian Futurism art. The strong use of shapes depicting nature in both of these art styles seems to indicate that the experts are right.

Picasso and Braque, with the assistance of Cézanne, began an art revolution whose effects can still be seen today in modern art. African Cubism was the beginning of a new way to see world events and to express them in a very creative way.

Mr. Moyo Ogundipe has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Fine Art from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria and a Master of Fine Art degree in Painting from The Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, USA.

One of Africa’s most celebrated and renowned contemporary Yoruba artists, Mr. Ogundipe has exhibited extensively in Africa, Europe and the USA. His paintings have been described as hypnotic, colorful and densely patterned.

In 1996, Moyo was awarded the Pollock-Krasner Fellowship. And in 2005 he was invited to become a member of Africobra, an organization founded in the 1960s and whose membership comprises of distinguished African-American artists.

Find and buy traditional African art online from Moyo Ogundipe at www.Maigida.com