Art History Lecture

"BIZARRERIES CUBIQUES": Cubism

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In 1907 Georges Braque visited Pablo Picasso's studio in Montmartre to see his painting: Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. The two embarked on a period of intense formal experimentation.

The art critic Louis Vauxcelles, on seeing a few of Braque's paintings, described them as 'bizarreries cubiques' and inadvertently named the new movement. In spite of the name, however, there are no actual cubes in Cubist art.

The style inspired the so-called 'Salon Cubists', such as Albert Gleizes, Jean Metzinger and Juan Gris. These artists are far less known now but, because they showed their work at the public Art Salons, they were the famous Cubists of the day.

We will conclude by looking at the legacy Cubism has left Modern Art: from Futurism to Constructivism to the actual cubes of Minimalism.