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Georges Braque: 1882-1963

May 13, 2016 By Wendy Campbell

Large-Nude-Georges-Braque-1908 Born on May 13, 1882 in Argenteuil-sur-Seine, France, Georges Braque was a major painter, collagist, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor of the 20th century. Along with Pablo Picasso, Braque was a key figure in the development of Cubism. He was also responsible for the introduction of many collage techniques including stenciling and combed false wood-grain effects.

Braque grew up in Le Havre and, following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, trained to be a house painter and decorator. In the evenings, he studied painting at the École des Beaux-Arts from 1897-1899. He studied in Paris under a master decorator and received his craftsman certificate in 1901. He studied painting at the Académie Humbert in Paris from 1902-04.

Braque’s first works were Impressionist, but by 1906 he was painting in a Fauvist style, successfully exhibiting that year in the Salon des Indépendants. Braque met Pablo Picasso in 1907. Both artists were influenced by Paul Cézanne’s use of geometry in depicting his subjects in his work. Cézanne’s paintings greatly impacted the direction of the Paris avant-garde, and soon after, Cubism.

From 1909 Braque and Picasso worked together daily to develop Cubism. By 1911 their styles were extremely similar and during this time, it was virtually  impossible to distinguish one from the other.  In 1912, the duo began to incorporate elements of collage into their paintings and to experiment with the papier collé (pasted paper) technique. Picasso-vs-BraqueStarting about 1911, Braque began experimenting with other media and techniques, as well as new canvas shapes. He began mixing paint with sand using a house-painter’s comb to introduce areas of imitation wood-grain into his paintings. In 1912, Braque married Marcelle Lapre and rented a house at Sorgues, near Avignon. There, he and Picasso began using pre-existing objects and materials in their paintings.

Braque and Picasso’s artistic collaboration lasted until 1914 when Braque served in the French Army during World War I. He was wounded in the war and temporarily blinded in 1915, but resumed painting in 1916. During his recovery in 1917, Braque began a close friendship with the Spanish artist Juan Gris who was also closely associated with the Cubist movement.

In the 1920s, Braque returned to a more “realistic interpretation of nature, although certain aspects of Cubism always remained present in his work.” He painted landscapes and reintroduced the figure into his work which was characterized by bold colour and textured surfaces. In the mid-1920s Braque also designed the decor for two Sergei Diaghilev ballets.

In 1931 Braque made his first engraved plasters and began to portray mythological subjects. His first retrospective was held in 1933 at the Kunsthalle Basel. In 1937,  he won first prize at the Carnegie International, in Pittsburgh.

From about 1936, Braque’s paintings shifted again from the still-life to wider interior views. “Into ornately decorated rooms he introduced impersonal, flattened figures, such as in Woman with Mandolin or The Duet. The new mood suggested by his use of brighter colours was offset, however, by a series of macabre vanitas still-lifes, linked to the theme of the artist’s studio, that he began in 1938, possibly in despair at the approach of World War II. He also built a sculpture studio near his house at Varengeville and began experimenting with sculpture about this time, producing simple and playful, if rather two-dimensional works.

During World War II Braque remained in Paris. He painted mainly still lifes and interiors that were stark and sombre in colour. During this time, Braque also made lithographs, engravings, and sculptures.

In 1954, Braque designed stained-glass windows for the church of Varengeville. During the last few years of his life, Braque’s poor health prevented him taking on any large-scale work, but he continued to paint, make lithographs, and design jewelry.

Georges Braque died on August 31, 1963, in Paris. He is buried in the church cemetery in Saint-Marguerite-sur-Mer, Normandy, France.

Billiard-table-Georges-Braque-1944
Fruit Dish and Glass - George Braques 1912
Woman-with-a-Guitar-Georges-Braque-1913
Musical-Instruments-Georges-Braque-1908
Violin-and-Pitcher-Georges-Braque-1910
Terrace-of-Hotel-Mistral-Georges-Braque-1907
Still-Life-with-Harp-and-Violin-Georges-Braque-1912
Man-with-a-Violin-Georges-Braque-1912
Fruit-Dish-Georges-Braque-1908-09
Man-with-a-Guitar-Georges-Braque-1911
Le-Portugais--The-Emigrant-Georges-Braque-1911-12
Large-Nude-Georges-Braque-1908
Harbor-in-Normandy-Georges-Braque-1909
La-chaise-Georges-Braque-1947
Glass-Carafe-and-Newspapers-Georges-Braque-1914
Fruit-on-a-Tablecloth-with-a-Fruitdish-Georges-Braque-1925
La-Terrace--Georges-Braque-1948
Castle-at-La-Roche-Guyon-Georges-Braque-1909
Bottle-and-Fishes-Georges-Braque-1910
Black Fish-Georges Braque-1942

Sources: Guggenheim, MoMA

Filed Under: ART, Art History, Collage, Mixed Media, Painting Tagged With: cubism, French Art, Georges Braque, Picasso, Stenciling

Art-e-Facts: 5 Random Art Facts – XVII

January 13, 2011 By Wendy Campbell

1. “Art for art’s sake” is the English version of a French slogan, from the early 19th century, ”l’art pour l’art” , and expresses a philosophy that the intrinsic value of art, and the only “true” art, is divorced from any didactic, moral or utilitarian function. “The term is credited to Théophile Gautier (1811–1872). Such works are sometimes described as “autotelic”, from the Greek autoteles, “complete in itself”, a concept that has been expanded to embrace “inner-directed” or “self-motivated” human beings. A Latin version of this phrase, “Ars gratia artis”, is used as a slogan by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appears in the circle around the roaring head of Leo the Lion in their motion picture logo. (Wikipedia)

2. Verism is the artistic preference of contemporary everyday subject matter instead of the heroic or legendary in art and literature; a form of realism. The word comes from Latin verus (true). Verism was often used by the Romans in marble sculptures of heads. Often described as “warts and all”, verism shows the imperfections of the subject, such as warts, wrinkles and furrows. (Wikipedia)

3. For decades, the Saturday Evening Post distinguished itself through its cover artwork. The most famous are by Norman Rockwell who created a total of 322 original covers for The Saturday Evening Post over 47 years. J.C. Leyendecker created over 320 covers, the most well known are his “New Year’s Baby” series which ran every year from 1908 to 1943.

4. In 2010, Picasso’s, Nude, Green Leaves and Bust sold for $106.5 million US to an anonymous buyer,  setting a record for the sale of any work at auction. One of a series of highly prized, intimate portraits Picasso painted in 1932 of his lover, Marie-Thérèse Walter. (DAF)

5. Italy has by far the most art crime, with approximately 20,000 art thefts reported each year.  Russia has the second most, with approximately 2000 art thefts reported per year. Italy’s government takes art crime very seriously and its Carabinieri are by far the most successful art squad worldwide, employing over 300 agents full time. (ARCA)

Filed Under: ART, Art History, Art-e-Facts, Illustration Tagged With: Art Crime, Art For Art's Sake, Carabinieri, JC Leyendecker, Norman Rockwell, Picasso, Saturday Evening Post, Verism

Top Ten Art Sales of 2010

December 31, 2010 By Wendy Campbell

1. Picasso, Nude, Green Leaves and Bust
£68 million  ($106.5 million US)

One of a series of highly prized, intimate portraits Picasso painted in 1932 of his lover, Marie-Thérèse Walter  With a  $70m to $90m (£44-£57m) estimate, this one sold to an anonymous buyer and set a record for any work of art at auction.

2. Giacometti, Walking Man 1
£65 million ($1.3 million US)

Estimated at £12m to £18m, this was the work sparked a lengthy bidding battle before selling to a telephone bidder, later identified as the Brazilian billionaire Lily Safra.

3. Chinese Vase
£51.6 million ($79.5 million US)

Discovered in Pinner, north-west London, this rare, flashy decorated porcelain vase, probably made for a palace of the Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century,  attracted Chinese dealers who drove the price to a record for any Chinese work of art.

4. Andy Warhol, Men in Her Life
£39 million ($60 million US)

Experts are puzzling how this painting, the most expensive in New York’s recent contemporary art sales, made more than Warhol’s trademark soup can paintings in the same week of sales.

5. J M W Turner, Modern Rome — Campo Vecchio
£29.7 million ($45.8 million US)

The flow of artwork from Britain’s stately homes continued when this painting, from the collection of the Earl of Rosebery, sold for an artist’s record to the J Paul Getty Museum.

6. Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, The Finding of Moses
£22 million (34 million US)

Highly prized when painted in 1904 but rejected when offered for nothing to British museums in the Sixties, this painting bounced back to fetch an astonishing record, 10 times its estimate, selling to a Middle Eastern buyer.

7. John Robert Cozens, The Lake of Albano and Castel Gandolfo
£2.4 million ($3.7 million US)

The star lot from a collection formed by fertility doctor, Prof Ian Craft, this moody panorama saw Canadian media tycoon, David Thomson, pay a quadruple estimate, record price to see off the competition.

8.Frank Auerbach, Mornington Crescent — Summer Morning
£2.3 million ($3.5 million US)

Auerbach, who will be 80 next year, has been enjoying a price boom and this was his highest price to date.

9. Sir Peter Paul Rubens (suspected), Portrait of a Bearded Man
£692,000 ($1 million US)

Catalogued as a 19th-century painting in the “manner of Rubens” with a £1,500 estimate, this sold to dealer Philip Mould, who believed it to be a genuine Rubens but has yet to exhibit it as such.

10.  Ged Quinn – Jonestown Radio
£187,250 ($289,000 US)

White Cube gallery’s Jay Jopling, bought this for about £20,000 in 2005. This was only the third painting by the 47-year-old Briton to appear at auction. It sold to an Asian buyer whom Sotheby’s said had never heard of Quinn before this sale.

Pablo Picasso - Nude Green Leaves and Bust - 1932

Pablo Picasso - Nude Green Leaves and Bust - 1932


ndy Warhol - Men in Her Life 1962

Source: The Telegraph (UK)

Filed Under: ART, Painting, Photography, Sculpture Tagged With: Andy Warhol, Chinese Vase 51.6 million, Frank Auerbach, Ged Quinn - Jonestown Radio, Giacometti, Green Leaves and Bust, J M W Turner, John Robert Cozens, Men in Her Life, Nude, Picasso, Portrait of a Bearded Man, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Sir Peter Paul Rubens, The Finding of Moses, The Lake of Albano and Castel Gandolfo, Top Ten Art Sales of 2010, Walking Man 1

Art-e-Facts: 5 Random Art Facts XVI

November 2, 2010 By Wendy Campbell

1. Cloisonnism is a style of post-Impressionist painting with bold and flat forms separated by dark contours. The term was coined by critic Edouard Dujardin on occasion of the Salon des Indépendants, in March 1888. The name describes the technique of cloisonné, where wires (cloisons or “compartments”) are soldered to the body of the piece, filled with powdered glass, and then fired. Many of the same painters also described their works as Synthetism a closely related movement. The Yellow Christ by Paul Gauguin is often cited as a quintessential cloisonnist work. Gauguin reduced the image to areas of single colors separated by heavy black outlines. In such works he paid little attention to classical perspective and boldly eliminated subtle gradations of color — two of the most characteristic principles of post-Renaissance painting. (Wikipedia)

2. Les Automatistes were a group of Québécois artistic dissidents from Montreal, Canada. The movement was founded in the early 1940s by painter Paul-Émile Borduas. “Les Automatistes” were so called because they were influenced by Surrealism and its theory of automatism. Members included Marcel Barbeau, Roger Fauteux, Claude Gauvreau, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Pierre Gauvreau, Fernand Leduc, Jean-Paul Mousseau, and others. The group gained recognition and were exhibited in Paris and New York. Though it began as a visual arts group, it also spread to other forms of expression, such as drama, poetry and dance. (Wikipedia)

3. On December 8, 1980, famed American photographer Annie Leibovitz was sent to photograph John Lennon and Yoko Ono and created the now famous Lennon nude curled around a fully clothed Ono.  Several hours after the photo shoot, Lennon was shot and killed. The photograph ran on the cover of Rolling Stone Lennon commemorative issue in January, 1981 and in 2005 was named best magazine cover from the past 40 years by the American Society of Magazine Editors.

4. Papier Collé (pasted paper) is a specific form of collage that is closer to drawing than painting. The Cubist painter Georges Braque first used it when he drew on imitation wood-grain paper that had been pasted onto white paper. Both Braque and Pablo Picasso made a number of papiers collés in the last three months of 1912 and in early 1913, with Picasso substituting the wood-grain paper favoured by Braque with pages from the newspaper Le Journal in an attempt to introduce the reality of everyday life into the pictures.  (Tate)

5. Revolutionary Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was infamous for his unruly life.  He was known for brawling and was arrested and imprisoned numerous times. In May of 1606, Caravaggio killed (possibly by accident) a man named Ranuccio Tomassoni.  Wanted for murder, he fled Rome for Naples. In 1610, believing he would be pardoned for his crime, he began his journey back to Rome but never made it. Carvaggio’s death is the subject of much debate. No body was found and there were several accounts of his death including a religious assassination and malaria.

Filed Under: ART, Art History, Art-e-Facts, Collage, Photography Tagged With: Annie Leibovitz, Braque, Cloisonnism, John Lennon, Les Automatistes, Papier Collé, Picasso

Art-e-Facts: 5 Random Art Facts XIII

June 9, 2010 By Wendy Campbell

1. Art Brut (raw art) is a term created by French artist Jean Dubuffet in 1948 to describe art created outside the boundaries of the art world of art schools, galleries, museums. Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane asylum patients. Outsider Art, coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 is a synonym for art brut but the term is applied more broadly to include numerous artists creating outside the mainstream art world including Naive art, folk art, intuitive/visionary art, and others.

2. Memento Mori is a Latin phrase translated as “Remember you must die”. It names a genre of artistic creations that vary widely from one another, but which all share the same purpose: to remind people of their own mortality. The phrase has a tradition in art that dates back to ancient Rome. Memento Mori can be seen in religious works, funeral art and architecture around the world. A version of Memento Mori in the genre of still life is more often referred to as a vanitas, Latin for “vanity”. These include symbols of mortality, whether obvious ones like skulls, or more subtle ones, like a flower losing its petals.

3. Bokeh is a term in photography used to describe the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image. Originating from the Japanese word boke (blur), the English spelling bokeh was popularized in 1997 in Photo Techniques magazine. Bokeh occurs for parts of the scene that lie outside the depth of field. Photographers sometimes deliberately use a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions.

4. From 1909 – 1914, Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso worked closely together daily to develop Cubism. Both artists produced paintings of monochromatic color and complex patterns now called Analytic Cubism. By 1911 their styles were extremely similar and during this time, it was virtually  impossible to distinguish one from the other.

5. Christina’s World is a work by U.S. painter Andrew Wyeth, and one of the best-known American paintings of the middle 20th century. The woman crawling through the grass was the artist’s neighbor Christina Olson. Aged 55, Christina was crippled by polio, and “was limited physically but by no means spiritually.” Wyeth explained, “The challenge was to do justice to her extraordinary conquest of a life which most people would consider hopeless.” He recorded the arid landscape, rural house, and shacks with great detail, painting minute blades of grass, individual strands of hair, and nuances of light and shadow.

Sources: Wikipedia (art brut), Wikipedia (memento mori), Silver Based, Wikipedia (bokeh), DAF (Braque), DAF, Christina’s World

Filed Under: ART, Art History, Art-e-Facts, Photography Tagged With: Andrew Wyeth, art brut, bokeh, Christina's World, cubism, Georges Braque, memento mori, Picasso

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