COLLEGE OF CREATIVE ARTS

BACHELOR OF GRAPHIC DESIGN (HONS)

UITM KAMPUS SHAH ALAM

40450 SHAH ALAM

SELANGOR

ATH435

(ART AND DESIGN HISTORY AND THEORY)

ASSIGNMENT 2

NAME MOHAMAD AIKAL BIN MOHD NOOR

STUDENT NUMBER 2022247766
GROUP NADG1A (e-PJJ)
LECTURER NAME RADIN BIN ERUS
Title: The story of George Braque

Georges Braque is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He was born on
May 3, 1882, in the coastal town of Le Havre, France. He married Marcelle Lapre in 1912
until Braque died in 1963 at the age of 81. Before becoming an artist, he worked as a house
painter and decorator with his father, and this spark his interest in art. At the age of 20 that he
began to study art. Georges Braque with his friend Pablo Picasso was the founder of the
cubism art movement that change the traditional way of making art. In his early involvement
in art, he was influenced by the fauvism movement led by the famous Paul Cézanne. In 1907,
Braque moved to Paris, where he met Pablo Picasso, who was to become his closest friend
and collaborator. Together, they began to develop the style of painting known as Cubism.
which challenged traditional representational conventions of art and influenced the
development of modern art. Throughout his career, Braque continued to experiment and
evolve his style, and his work is still widely studied and appreciated today. This essay will
delve into the life and work of Georges Braque, exploring his early years, his involvement in
the Cubist movement, his artistic style and evolution, and his impact on the art world.

"L'Estaque (The Estaque)" 1908

Gerges Braque

Braque's early work was heavily influenced by the Impressionist movement and was
particularly interested in capturing the effects of light and color in his paintings. He
eventually was inspired by the work of Paul Cézanne and the Fauvism movement. He began
experimenting with more geometric forms and simplified compositions. in 1906 he we
contributed couple of his paintings to his first exhibition at the Salon des Independants in
Paris. A good example is "L'Estaque (The Estaque)" 1908, is one of Georges Braque's most
famous pieces. The painting, which portrays a village near Marseille, is considered a
noteworthy representation of Braque's early work. In the artwork we can see Braque's was
using simplified forms, bold colors and strong brushstrokes, which reflect the influence of
Cézanne, are key characteristics of the piece. Besides that, another early work of Braque is,
"The Port of La Ciotat" 1907, is a beautiful depiction of a busy port town near Marseille. In
the painting, Braque's implemented bright colors, bold brushstrokes, and simplified forms, to
emphasize the mood and how light during that time. He able to portray the movement and
activity of a busy port. These paintings have been received by critics and art collectors and
helped establish Braque as a talented and promising young artist. But, eventually his style and
technique continued to evolve over time because of his passion in searching the best way of
making art.

 His journey in discovering his style in art started when he met Pablo Picasso In 1907, at his
studio in Paris. The two become closest friends and collaborators with a lot of artworks.
Braque was inspired by Picasso's painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon/ (The Young Ladies of
Avignon) a painting that depicts five nudes’ women's nudity and a brothel setting, that
evoked a lot of controversy at the time. In the painting Picasso used sharp angles, fragmented
forms, and flattened perspective to depict the figures, breaking away from traditional
representational techniques. The painting's impact on the art world and especially Georges
Braque in his art style. Together with Picasso, they two began developing and experimenting
new style of painting known as Cubism. The two friends were heavily inspired by the art
around the world and especially influenced by the African traditional tribal masks and
sculptures. Picasso and Braque, notice the implication of abstract and geometric forms in
which is portrayed in African art. The two friends start to implement their artwork. After that
they come out with a new art style it is Cubism. It was a revolutionary movement that aimed
to break down the traditional representational conventions of art and instead depict objects as
they saw them from a certain point of view, cubism instead depicts as they imagine multiple
viewpoints and geometric shapes. This new style of painting flattened all multiple viewpoints
of a subject into a single picture. A good example of Braque’s early cubism-inspired painting
is "The Fruit Dish" (1909). This painting is a prime example of his early Cubist style, which
is characterized by using multiple perspectives and fragmentation forms. The painting depicts
a still life of a fruit dish, but it is rendered in a highly abstract and geometric way. The objects
in the painting are broken down into a series of planes and angles, and the viewer is presented
with a dynamic and almost dizzying array of shapes and colours. The name Cubism comes
from a famous art critic Louis Vauxcelles, he describes Braque’s works looks like it made of
a little cube. Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso has become the pioneer of the Cubism art
movement and made large contributions to modern art with the invention of analytic and
synthetic phases of the Cubism movement.

Georges Braque, The Portuguese (The Emigrant)

1911

Besides that, one interesting aspect of Georges Braque's life as he served as a pilot in World
War I, where he enlisted in the French Air Force in 1915. During his service in the France Air
Force, he created several works inspired by the war, which included landscapes seen from the
air. This experience would later influence his cubist paintings, where he incorporated aerial
views of landscapes into his compositions. Such as "The Portuguese" (1911) is considered a
masterpiece of his mature Cubist style. The painting is a portrait of a man, but it is rendered
abstractly and geometrically, with the subject's face depicted as a series of planes and angles.
The viewer is presented with a dynamic and unique array of shapes and colours. He also
implemented a limited colour palette that mostly earth tones, thus giving the painting a sense
of unity and harmony. These show the maturity in Braque's painting and the true form of
cubism.

In addition, to being a talented painter, Georges Braque also was an amazing craftsman. He
had a passion for working with his hands and was deeply invested in the technical aspects of
painting. Braque would create his own frames and stretchers, to ensure that they were of the
highest quality and complemented the paintings perfectly. He believed that the art he made
needed to be perfect and precise in every aspect. Braque also was good at working with
wood and making furniture. He had a workshop where he would spend his free time creating
beautiful pieces of furniture, such as tables, chairs, and cabinets. He was particularly
interested in the design and construction proses. He would often experiment with various
materials and techniques to achieve the best result when making art. With that being said, this
proved that Braque is a perfectionist when making art by putting all of his soul and effort into
his artwork.

L'oiseau et son nid Date: c.1958; France Georges Braque, L'oiseau et son nid
(The Bird and Its Nest), By Georges Braque (The Bird and Its Nest), 1956, By Georges
Braque

Georges Braque has a love for nature and often spent time exploring the French
countryside through activities such as fishing and hunting. Not only did these bring him
pleasure and relaxation, but they also served as a source of inspiration for his work. His
artwork often depicts landscapes, animals, and other elements of natural elements for his art
piece. This love for nature and outdoor activities is reflected in some of his works, such as the
painting "The Bird and its Nest (L'uccello e il suo nido)" 1965 by Georges Braque is a good
example of how he implemented nature elements in his paintings by manipulating colours
and form being used in his artwork. The painting depicts a bird and a couple of eggs in its
nest with a simple form and interesting texture. The bold lines and geometric shapes in the
painting generate an atmosphere of movement and liveliness as if the bird is on the move.
The use of contrasting hues, such as white, greens, dark blues, and yellows, adds to the piece
and really portrays cubism elements in Braque’s art. He also implemented a light green and
brown colour in the background to enhance the sense of depth and veracity. One of the most
remarkable features of the painting is Braque's utilization of cubism and abstraction. The bird
and its nest serve as the subject matter, reduced to simplified shapes and forms, giving the
painting a cubist and abstract appearance. Braque was an active person who also enjoyed
other outdoor activities such as cycling and rock climbing. He believed that being in nature
was essential for his well-being and creativity. Through incorporating his love for sports and
the outdoors into his painting, Braque was able to bring a unique perspective to his art and
vividly depict the beauty of nature. In his late days we can see that Braque painted a lot of
birds for his subject matter and portrayed them in a simple shape. He still believes in the
cubism art style to be the best way in expressing the movement and essence of true art.

At the start of his career, Georges Braque faced many obstacles in receiving recognition
and success for his work. Despite these difficulties, his work eventually gained widespread
acclaim and he went on to achieve both financial success and fame. This recognition was
reflected in his being awarded the Grand National Prize for Painting in 1948, and in his being
made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1953. Braque was not only known for his
exceptional painting skills, but he was also a talented craftsman who thoroughly enjoyed
working with his hands. He was highly skilled in woodworking and would often create his
own frames and stretchers for his paintings. Braque like to spend his time in his workshop to
build furniture and pursued his passion for craftsmanship. Today, Braque's work continues to
be celebrated and admired, long after his death in 1963 at the age of 81 years old. His
paintings can be found in some of the world's most prestigious museums, and he is widely
regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His unique style and
approach to painting, combining his love for abstraction and cubism, has earned him a lasting
place in art history.

In conclusion, Georges Braque was a revolutionary artist that has contributed to the
development of art in the 20th century. He and Pablo Picasso changed the traditional art form
of depicting perspective from a point of view and change it to a geometric form to imitate
reality objects. The invention of the cubism movement by Braque and his friend, they have
inspired countless artists and the new modern art movement. Such as the use of collages,
geometric forms and strong brush strokes have brought new movements like futurism, pop art
etc. Therefore, this proves that Braque involvement in the shaping of modern art is uncanny.
Braque's influence extends beyond the realm of painting and into other areas of modern art,
design, architecture and etc. without Georges Braque, modern art maybe will never exist

Reference:

1. https://www.ft.com/content/8ef85870-1b44-4c20-b26c-ef9c39b04bcd
2. https://www.masterworksfineart.com/artists/georges-braque/lithograph/loiseau-et-
son-nid-the-bird-and-its-nest/id/w-4516
3. https://www.theartstory.org/artist/braque-georges/