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Year 7 Art - Modernism: Cubism

Guide to provide resources supporting year 7 unit on Modernism and Modernist Artists

What is Cubism?

Phases of Cubism

Take a closer look at the three distinct phases of Cubism and their evolution.

The 3 Types of Cubism: History, Characteristics, and Artists

Analytic Cubism vs Synthetic Cubism: Similarities and Differences

 

Proto-Cubism / Cézanian Cubism / Salon Cubism : This phase charts the evolution of the style before the birth of Cubism as a distinct art movement

Salon Cubism - Khan Academy

Salon Cubism - The Art Story

 

Analytic / Analytical Cubism : Emerging in 1907 and lasting until 1912, this phase is characterised by the subject being shown from multiple overlapping viewpoints

Analytic Cubism Art Movement – History, Artists and Artwork

Analytical Cubism - TATE

Analytic Cubism - Khan Academy 

Analytic Cubism - The Art Story

How Analytical Cubism Prefigured Pure Abstraction

 

Synthetic Cubism : This later phase - between 1912 and 1914 - introduced textures and patterns to Cubist works, focusing on simpler shapes and brighter colours

Synthetic Cubism Art Movement: History, Artwork, and Artists

Synthetic Cubism - TATE 

Synthetic Cubism, Part I - Khan Academy

Synthetic Cubism, Part II - Khan Academy 

Synthetic Cubism - The Art Story

Synthetic Cubism Explained - Planes, Shapes and Vantage Points

Characteristics of Cubism: Compare and Contrast

Learn more about the characteristics of Cubism through the following articles, and by looking at the similarities and differences between Cubism and other art movements.

4 Characteristics of Cubism and Why They Are Important

Cubism and Multiple Perspectives

What is Cubism - A True Art Revolution?

Compare Cubism with:

   Realism

   Impressionism

   Expressionism

   Futurism

   Surrealism

   Rayonism

Section d'Or

The title 'Section d'Or' refers to the group of artists who helped define Cubism in terms of mathematical, scientific, and philosophical issues. Learn more using these resources:

Section d'Or - Britannica Schools

Section d'Or - Encyclopedia of Art History

How Cubism Thrived Within the Section d'Or

What The Section d’Or Meant for Cubism, and Abstract Art At Large

Explaining Cubism to the world

Considering Cubism Again

The Leonard A. Lauder Collection

The Leonard A. Lauder Collection is the most important group of Cubist artworks still in private hands. The collection was exhibited to the public for the first time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2014 and 2015 and consists of 81 paintings, collages, drawings, and sculpture by four leading Cubist artists: Georges Braque; Juan Gris; Fernand Léger, and Pablo Picasso.

Explore the collection using the following links and resources.

Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection - Exhibition Overview

Press Release (Collection Overview)

Exhibition Galleries

The Collection 

Cubism's Radical Innovations

Pablo Picasso

Biographies of Pablo Picasso:

   Pablo Picasso - Britannica Schools (for basic overview see: Pablo Picasso (Middle))

   Pablo Picasso - Google Arts and Culture

   Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) - Metropolitan Museum of Art

   Pablo Picasso - Sotheby's

   10 Surprising Facts About Pablo Picasso

   Pablo Picasso - The Life and Works of This Famous Cubism Artist - Art in Context

   Pablo Picasso: Spanish Draftsman, Painter, Printmaker, and Sculptor (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story

An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to a full biography, his artistic legacy, important artworks, and additional resources, including videos, books, special features, websites, and more.

 

Picasso used many different artistic styles throughout his career, although - as its founder he is perhaps most associated with Cubism. These resources discuss his Cubist works in more detail.

Pablo Picasso and Cubism

Famous Picasso Paintings - Looking at the Best of Picasso's Art 

   Includes: Les Demoiselles d'Avignon; Still Life with Chair Caning; Bowl of Fruit, Violin, and Bottle; Ma Jolie; The Three Musicians; Guernica

9 Facts About Picasso‘s Groundbreaking Painting ‘Les Demoiselles d‘Avignon' 

Picasso, The Reservoir, Horta de Ebro (The Reservoir, Horta de Ebro) [video, 4 minutes, 15 seconds]

Pablo Picasso and the new language of Cubism (The Guitarist) [video, 5 minutes]

Pablo Picasso, Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler (Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler)

Picasso, Guitar (Guitar, sculpture) [video, 4 minutes, 17 seconds]

Still Life with Chair Caning

   Picasso, Still Life with Chair Caning [article]

   Picasso, Still Life with Chair Caning [video, 6 minutes 35 seconds]

Pablo Picasso, Guitar, Glass, and Bottle (Glass, Guitar, and Bottle) [video, 2 minutes]

Conservation, Picasso's Guitars (Still-Life with Guitar, sculpture) [video, 3 minutes, 17 seconds]

A Technical Study of Picasso’s Construction Still Life 1914 (Still Life, sculpture)

Pablo Picasso, The Three Musicians (Three Musicians)

Guernica

   Picasso, Guernica - Khan Academy

   “Guernica” by Picasso – Analyzing This Famous Spanish Civil War Painting   

   Picasso and Guernica: Exploring the Anti-War Symbolism 

Picasso’s Idealized Portrait of His Final Muse (Femme Au Chien) [video, 4 minutes]

See Picasso's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sotheby's, Obelisk Art History, and the TATE. Click on and artwork to discover more about it.

Georges Braque

Biographies of Georges Braque:

   Georges Braque - Britannica

   Georges Braque - Google Arts and Culture 

   Georges Braque - Sotheby's

   Georges Braque - artnet

Georges Braque Biography

      This Braque website also provides access to detailed information about the artist's works.

Georges Braque: French Painter, Collagist, Draftsman, Printmaker and Sculptor (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story

      An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including articles, video-clips, and more.

 

The following resources look at Braque's influence on Cubism, his experiments with collage, and specific artworks. 

Georges Braque – Explore the Cubism Artworks by This French Artist

Is Braque Finally Coming Out of Picasso’s Shadow?

Collage Art – A History of Collage as an Artistic Medium [Braque]   

Georges Braque Pulled Art from the Paste-Pot 

Braque's Musical Instruments [Leonard A. Lauder Collection - Check the separate information box for a closer look at Braque's works in this collection]

Cubism and Early Abstraction - This provides access to a variety of articles and videos about Cubism, Georges Braque's association with it, and his artworks in the style. Topics on Braque: Inventing Cubism and Synthetic Cubism Part I. Artworks: Pitcher and ViolinThe Viaduct at L'EstaqueViolin and PaletteThe Portuguese (and further analysis of it).

Violin and Candlestick - (Famous Still Life Artists and Paintings – artincontext)

Bottle and Fishes (Famous French Painters and Their 15 Most Popular Paintings - artincontext)

Le Violon [video; 2 minutes]

See Braque's works at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sotheby's, and Obelisk Art History. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.

 

Prior to the development of Cubism, Georges Braque began his career with Fauvism. Take a look at the Fauvism LibGuide page to discover more about Braque's Fauvist works.

Juan Gris

Biographies of Juan Gris:

   Juan Gris - Britannica Schools

   Juan Gris - Artnet

   Juan Gris - Guggenheim

   Juan Gris - Sotheby's

   Juan Gris: Spanish Painter, Illustrator, and Sculptor (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story

An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to a full biography, his artistic legacy, important artworks, and additional resources, including books, articles, websites, and video-clips.

 

Juan Gris created much in the style of Synthetic Cubism, incorporating bold colours and crisp design elements into his distinctive works. Use the following resources to take a closer look at Gris's artistic style and artworks. 

Juan Gris on the Verge of Abstraction

Art View; Juan Gris: The Other Cubist

Cubism in Colour: The Still Lifes of Juan Gris

Juan Gris, The Table - Khan Academy 

Gallery Talk: Juan Gris’ Nature morte à la nappe à carreaux [video, 1 minute, 26 seconds] 

Juan Gris's Painting "Still Life with Checked Tablecloth" [video, 4 minutes]

See Gris's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, National Gallery of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.

Robert Delaunay

Biographies of Robert Delaunay:

   Robert Delaunay - Britannica Schools

   Robert Delaunay - Guggenheim

   Robert Delaunay - Sotheby's

   Robert Delaunay – A Look at the Artist Behind Robert Delaunay’s Paintings

   Robert Delaunay: French Painter (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story

An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including books, websites, articles, video-clips, and more.   

 

A pioneer of abstract art, Robert Delaunay's unique Cubist style used vibrant colours and contemporary subject matter - later becoming known as 'Orphism' or 'Orphic Cubism'. Check out the Orphism information box to learn more about this style as a movement. Use the following resources to take a closer look at Delaunay's artistic progression and artworks.

Robert Delaunay and His Approach to Colour

Simultanism: Robert Delaunay 

Robert Delaunay: Understanding His Abstract Art

Tim Marlow’s Must-See August Museum Shows: Robert Delaunay at Kunsthaus Zürich [video, 1 minute] 

The Cubist City – Robert Delaunay and Fernand Léger 

Robert Delaunay, "Simultaneous Contrasts: Sun and Moon" [video, 2 minutes]

10 Most Famous Robert Delaunay Paintings - Outpost Art [video, 1 minute, 10 seconds] 

Robert Delaunay's Eiffel Tower

See Delaunay's works at the TATE, Metropolitan Museum of Art, via Useum and Arthive (over multiple pages). Click on an artwork to discover more about it.

Fernand Léger

Biographies of Fernand Léger:

   Fernand Léger - Britannica Schools (for basic overview see: Fernand Léger)

   Fernand Léger - Sotheby's 

   Fernand Léger - Encyclopedia of Visual Artists   

   Fernand Léger (1881-1955) - Metropolitan Museum of Art

   Five things to know about Fernand Léger

   10 things to know about Fernand Léger

   Fernand Léger: French Painter (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story

An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including books, websites, articles, and video-clips.

 

Fernand Léger developed his own particular style of Cubism featuring cylindrical forms, known as 'Tubism'. Much of his artwork involved contemporary subject matter, primary colours, and bold lines. Take a closer look at Léger's artistic style and works in these articles and short videos.

Fernand Léger, Between Abstraction and Cubism

Fernand Léger - The Museum of Modern Art

Fernand Léger, "Contrast of Forms" [video, 2 minutes, 19 seconds]

Fernand Léger's Radical Cubist Vision [video, 3 minutes 30 seconds] (references Nature Morte,1914)

Léger: Modern Art and the Metropolis 

   This exhibition overview also includes a short gallery tour, chronology, and artist information. 

The Cubist City – Robert Delaunay and Fernand Léger

  Primarily focused on Delaunay, Léger's The City (1919) is discussed about two-thirds down the page.

Fernand Léger, Men in the City, 1919 [audio, 2 minutes; transcript included] 

Fernand Léger’s The city – The story behind this painting

Fernand Léger’s Monumental Mosaic

The Cubists & the Tubist (references The Three Musicians, 1944)

From the Archives: Henry Geldzahler on the Late Work of Fernand Léger, in 1962

See Léger's works at the Guggenheim, TATE, Sotheby's, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.

Marc Chagall

Biographies of Marc Chagall:

   Marc Chagall - Britannica Schools (for basic overview see: Marc Chagall (Middle))

   Marc Chagall - Guggenheim

   Marc Chagall - Sotheby's 

   Marc Chagall, and his paintings

   21 Facts About Marc Chagall 

   Marc Chagall: Russian-French Draftsman, Painter, and Printmaker (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story

An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to a full biography, his artistic legacy, important artworks, and additional resources, including books, websites, and articles.

 

It was during Marc Chagall's years in Paris that he was most influenced by Cubism. Discover more about this period of his life, as well as his artistic style and artworks through the following resources. 

Marc Chagall – Looking at the Life and Art Style of Modern Painter Chagall

Marc Chagall (1887-1985): Painting as Poetry

Marc Chagall – The Paris Years (1910-1914)

5 Famous Marc Chagall Paintings That Will Mesmerize You With Their Dreamlike Beauty 

What Are Marc Chagall’s Best-Known Artworks of All Time? 

Life transformed into the theatrical 

Artist at the heart of a cultural vortex (references Hommage à Apollinaire, 1911-12

“I and the Village” (1911), Chagall’s Unique Take on Cubism 

The Harmonious Life of Marc Chagall [video, 4 minutes, 13 seconds]

Anny Aviram on Marc Chagall’s I and the Village [video, 4 minutes]

See Chagall's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, TATE, Sotheby's, Jewish Museum, and via Obelisk Art History. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.

Francis Picabia

Biographies of Francis Picabia:

   Francis Picabia - Britannica Schools

   Francis Picabia - Guggenheim

   Francis Picabia - Sotheby's 

   Francis Picabia - Encyclopedia of Visual Artists

   Francis Picabia Biography (Timeline)

   Francis Picabia: French Designer, Illustrator, Painter, and Writer (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story

An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including books, websites, articles, and video-clips.

 

Francis Picabia was active in a number of modern art movements, particularly Cubism and the way the style could evoke qualities of the modern, urban, and mechanistic world. Take a closer look at Picabia's career, style and works with the following resources.

Francis Picabia - Metropolitan Museum of Art

Francis Picabia’s Chameleonic Style

Always Forging Ahead: Early Styles of Francis Picabia

9 Most Famous Artworks by Francis Picabia

Francis Picabia: Our Heads Are Round so Our Thoughts Can Change Direction - Exhibition Overview

Voiles, ca. 1911 

Edtaonisl (Ecclesiastic)

The Procession, Seville, 1912 

Catch as Catch Can, 1913

See Picabia's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Sotheby's. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.

 

As well as being instrumental in early Cubism, Francis Picabia was one of the founders of the Dada art movement. Check the Dada LibGuide page to discover more about Picabia's Dadaist works.

Jean Metzinger

Biographies of Jean Metzinger:

   Jean Metzinger - Guggenheim

   Jean Metzinger - Sotheby's 

   Jean Metzinger - Encyclopedia of Visual Artists

   Jean Metzinger - ArtHive

   Jean Metzinger: French Painter, Writer, Theorist, Poet (Overview and Artwork) - The Art Story

An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to a full biography, his artistic legacy, important artworks, and additional resources, including books and articles.

 

Jean Metziner is significant among Cubists for developing the theoretical foundations of Cubism in his co-authored essay Du Cubisme. Take a closer look at some of his notable works.

Jean Metzinger: Two Sides of a Cubist

Jean Metzinger, Cubist Painter 

Danseuse au café (Dancer in a Café), 1912 

Femme au faisan

Table by a Window, 1917

Woman with a Coffee Pot, 1919

Picasso Posse: The Mona Lisa of Cubism [video, 1 minute, 43 seconds]

   This Philadelphia Museum of Art video focuses on Jean Metzinger's Tea Time (Woman with a Teaspoon).

See Metzinger's works at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Christie's, Useum and via Obelisk Art History. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.

Marcel Duchamp

Biographies of Marcel Duchamp:

   Marcel Duchamp - Britannica Schools (for overview see: Marcel Duchamp)

   Marcel Duchamp - Metropolitan Museum of Art

   Marcel Duchamp - Centre Pompidou

   Marcel Duchamp – Explore Marcel Duchamp’s Art and Interesting Life

   Marcel Duchamp - Encyclopedia of Visual Artists

   Marcel Duchamp: French Painter and Sculptor (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story

An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to a full biography, his artistic legacy, important artworks, and additional resources, including video-clips, books, special features, websites and articles.

 

In his early works Marcel Duchamp embraced the Cubist notion of reordering reality, rather than simply representing it. Explore Duchamp's artistic style and works. 

Marcel Duchamp’s 18 Most Puzzling Artworks, From Hypnotic Bicycle Wheels to Visions of Robotic Sex

Who is Marcel Duchamp? 

7 Things to Know about . . . Marcel Duchamp 

The Essential Duchamp - Exhibition Overview (Art Gallery of NSW)

Portrait of Chess Players, 1911 

Art History | Marcel Duchamp | Portrait (Dulcinea) [video, 3 minutes]

See Duchamp's works at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Guggenheim, and via Obelisk Art History. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.

 

Marcel Duchamp first coined the term 'readymade' in designating everyday objects as artworks - a primary aspect of the Dada art movement. Check out the Dada LibGuide page to learn more about Duchamp's Dadaist works.

Books in the Stephens Library

Books in the Nettlefold Library

More on Picasso

For more information about Pablo Picasso, check out the following resources.

 

PabloPicasso.net

   This fan site includes information about Picasso, his works, and the different media he used throughout his artistic career. The site includes a list of his paintings - click on an artwork to discover more about it.

 

Masters of the Modern Era: Pablo Picasso [video, 59 minutes]

   This documentary explores the life and works of Picasso, and his influence on the world around him.

 

Deconstructing the Image: Pablo Picasso and the Cubist Experiment [video, 1 hour, 2 minutes]

   From the 'How Artists See' series of lectures. Pablo Picasso’s restless, inventive mind enabled him to see objects in a fractured, multifaceted way which freed the representation of the human body from its tethers to ancient Greece. 

Further Reading

Check out the following resources for some additional reading.

Excerpts from "Du Cubisme" - Obelisk Art History

   Excerpts from the Cubist art theory written by Albert Gleizes and Jean Metzinger in 1912.

 

Modern Artists on Art: Ten Unabridged Essays edited by Robert L. Herbert

   Gleizes & Metzinger, Cubism (1912) - This is a revised translation of Gleizes and Metzinger's original 1912 essay on Cubism. The full text of this book is available online.

 

Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism by William Rubin

   This book examines the works of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in relation to their shared development of the Cubist art movement.

 

Visions of Paris: Robert Delaunay's Series by Marc Rosenthal

   Delaunay's paintings of Saint-Severin, the Eiffel Tower, and window views of Paris celebrate the rhythms and locales of an urban milieu, embracing the modern in its most vital form: architecture. This book, the catalogue to an exhibition organized by the Guggenheim Museum, focuses on these groupings of paintings and drawings.

 

“Fernand Léger: Five Themes and Variations” by Thomas M. Messer, 1962 [audio, 54 minutes 13 seconds]

   Guggenheim Director Thomas M. Messer speaks about the exhibition Fernand Léger: Five Themes and Variations (1962). He explains why the museum found it important to show Léger’s later paintings and discusses at length various themes employed by the artist. A full transcript of the lecture is available to read.

 

Marc Chagall - The Jewish Museum Exhibitions

   These exhibition overviews also contain educator resources, videos, and audio guides.

   - Chagall: Love, War, and Exile - Overview

   - Chagall: Love, War, and Exile - Curriculum Guide (focus on Chagall's Cubist work Calvary from page 29)

   - Chagall, Lissitzky, Malevich: The Russian Avant-Garde in Vitebsk, 1918-1922 

 

Between Music and the Machine: Francis Picabia and the End of Abstraction

  This article looks at Picabia in more detail. It also contains many images of his artworks.

 

Marcel Duchamp Retrospective, 1974 - Guggenheim [audio, 25 minutes]

   Mimi Poser discusses the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Marcel Duchamp retrospective with the museum’s Anne d’Harnoncourt and the Parke-Bernet auction house’s John Tancock.

 

Cubism and the Trompe l'Oeil Tradition -  Metropolitan Museum of Art

   This exhibition (and its associated resources) looks at Cubism through the lens of the trompe l'oeil tradition of painting concerned with the nature of representation.

   - Exhibition Overview

   - Visiting Guide

   - Exhibition Objects (images)

   - Exhibition Text (booklet)

   - Virtual Opening [video: 29 minutes, 50 seconds]

 

Picasso and the Avant-Garde in Paris - Philadelphia Museum of Art

   This exhibition overview includes 'behind the scenes' videos (click on the image to play the video), as well as information about the various phases of Cubism and links to the associated galleries. It contains more than just Picasso so scroll through and explore.

 

The 'Other' Cubists - Sotheby's 

   This article looks at the Cubist works of artists Louis Marcoussis and María Blanchard.

 

Beyond Picasso: the Cubism of Filla and Foltýn - Sotheby's

   In Czechoslovakia, different forms of Cubism developed from those pioneered by Picasso and Braque. This article discusses the Czech Cubist artists Emil Filla and František Foltýn.

Further Viewing

Learn more about Cubism from the following videos, museum tours, and lectures. 

An Introduction to Cubism - St Ambrose College Art [24 min, 21 sec]

Tour of Cubism at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art - National Galleries [7 min, 21 sec] 

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a number of visual resources relating to Cubism:

Cubism and the Trompe l'Oeil Tradition Virtual Opening [29 min 50 sec]

   Join the exhibition’s curators Emily Braun and Elizabeth Cowling for a virtual tour of "Cubism and the Trompe l’Oeil Tradition". Along with Cubist paintings, sculptures, and collages, the exhibition presents canonical examples of European and American trompe l’oeil painting from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries.

Leonard A. Lauder on Collecting Cubism [3 min, 13 sec]

   Leonard A. Lauder discusses how he built his collection of works by Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger, and Georges Braque.

Leonard A. Lauder on Living with Pictures [1 min, 13 sec]

   Leonard A. Lauder discusses his appreciation of the Cubist works of art he has collected. Leonard A. Lauder answers the question: "Which is your favorite picture?"

Collecting Cubism [56 min, 59 sec]

   The ninth-annual Women and the Critical Eye program featuring a conversation between Emily Braun and Rebecca Rabinow, who discuss Leonard Lauder's criteria for collecting, including the importance of the "aesthetic wow," rarity, state of conservation, and attention to a work's curriculum vitae. 

The Artist Project: Jacques Villeglé [3 minutes 23 seconds]

   French mixed-media artist Jacques Villeglé takes a closer look at the works of Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in this short video.

Learning to See Again: Picasso's Cubism Before Collage [1 hr, 13 min, 23 sec] 

   Examine the most impenetrable of Picasso's Cubist works with Christopher Green, this year's Leonard A. Lauder Distinguished Scholar at The Met.

Cubism across Cultures and Continents: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection and Masterpieces of the Met [1 hr, 25 min, 47 sec]

   Explore one of the most significant Cubist art collections ever assembled from multiple perspectives.

Symposium—Charting Cubism across Central and Eastern Europe

   - Part 1: Welcome & Introduction [24 min, 20 sec]

   - Part 2: Picasso, Braque, and Kramář: The Czech Reception of Synthetic Cubism  [26 min, 37 sec]

   - Part 3: Averting a Crisis in Cubism: The Theoretical Writings of Alexis Gritchenko [30 min, 44 sec]

   - Part 4: Cubism and Soviet Art Criticism during the Cold War [24 min, 14 sec]

   - Part 5: Response to the Previous Lectures [24 min, 16 sec]

   - Part 6: Remake of Cubism: Local Possibilities [50 min, 23 sec]