Analytical And Synthetic Cubism
There are many different artistic movements which have influenced history forever. From these movements you will find some of the most popular artists’ names and their most famous works. And yet not many people fully appreciate all of the key artistic movements that took place in America and around the world, and one of those movements is Cubism. Cubism was a popular artistic tool between 1907 and 1914, but also one which carried into the 1930’s. The work of early Cubists was often produced between 1907 and 1912 and were referred to as Analytical Cubism. The work produced between 1913 and 1920 was considered part of the later phase of Cubism and was referred to as Synthetic Cubism.
Analytical Cubism shows somewhat recognizable subjects within the art form. There are many works by Braque and Picasso which show female forms or easily recognized men within the art form. These early works were typically composed using muted tones. The imagery can be analyzed with the idea of visual realism and the paintings typically showcased more details imaged tightly gathered at the center of the painting, with sparser work as you neared the edges of the painting. It was the muted colors which drew the attention of the viewer in a subtle shifting of their perspective, helping to draw the viewer into the exact viewpoint of the artist.
Synthetic Cubism was a more extreme of that movement, one wherein all three dimensional aspects disappeared. Rather than reassembling some of the facets of an original image, the purpose of this cubism was to synthesize and create new expanding structures. The subject might have been recognizable as the single unified structure within the painting, but other times the subject was not recognizable at all. In some cases the artist would use collage methods of artwork to overlap different patterns, graphics, and words in order to produce their desired results. In paintings during this time the colors were brighter and there were more distinct geometric forms. Some of the textures like gesso, sand, or paper would help to enhance what the artist was trying to portray.
Art historians will often make a clear distinction between these two aspects of cubism, helping to better signify the progression that Cubism as a whole brought about. The founders of the Cubism movement are still considered to be Braque and Picasso, thanks to their work centered on cubism.
Published on 27.12.2016