HISTORY OF

HISTORY OFARCHITECTURE
ARCHITECTURE 44

CUBISM
CUBISM

BY,
SRUSHTI GARADE- PATIL
NIKHIL KAR
SAKSHI VAIDYA
CUBISM WAS A REVOLUTIONARY NEW APPROACH TO REPRESENTING REALITY INVENTED IN
AROUND 1907-1908 BY ARTIST PABLO PICASSO AND GEORGES BRAQUE. THEY BROUGHT DIFFERENT
VIEWS OF SUBJECTS TOGETHER IN THE SAME PICTURE, RESULTING IN PAINTINGS THAT APPEAR
FRAGMENTED AND ABSTRACTED.

. IT IS GENERALLY AGREED TO HAVE BEGUN AROUND 1907

WITH PICASSO'S CELEBRATED PAINTING DEMOISELLES D’
AVIGNON WHICH INCLUDED ELEMENTS OF CUBIST
PABLO STYLE. THE NAME ‘CUBISM’ SEEMS TO HAVE DERIVED FROM
PICASSO- A COMMENT MADE BY THE CRITIC LOUIS VAUXCELLE WHO,
GIRLS OF ON SEEING SOME OF GEORGES BRAQUE’S PAINTINGS
AVIGNON EXHIBITED IN PARIS IN 1908, DESCRIBED THEM AS
REDUCING EVERYTHING TO ‘GEOMETRIC OUTLINES, TO
CUBES’.
WHAT INSPIRED CUBIST STYLE ? MONT
PARTLY INFLUENCED BY THE LATE WORK OF PAUL SAINTE
CEZANNE IN WHICH HE CAN BE SEEN TO BE VICTOIRE –
PAINTING THINGS FROM SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT A
POINTS OF VIEW. ALSO BY PABLO PICASSO, WHO LIMESTONE
WAS INSPIRED BY AFRICAN TRIBAL ASKS WHICH MOUNTAIN
ARE HIGHLY STYLISED, NON-NATURALISTIC, IN SOUTH
A VIVID HUMAN IMAGE. OF FRANCE
 TYPES OF CUBISM
CUBISM CAN BE SEEN TO HAVE DEVELOPED IN TWO DISTINCT PHASES: THE INITIAL AND MORE
AUSTERE ANALYTICAL CUBISM, AND A LATER PHASE OF CUBISM KNOWN AS SYNTHETIC CUBISM.

ANALYTICAL CUBISM RAN FROM 1908–12. ITS ARTWORKS LOOK MORE SEVERE AND ARE MADE UP
OF AN INTERWEAVING OF PLANES AND LINES IN MUTED TONES OF BLACKS, GREYS AND OCHRES.

IT IS TERMED ANALYTICAL CUBISM BECAUSE OF ITS STRUCTURED DISSECTION OF THE SUBJECT,

VIEWPOINT-BY-VIEWPOINT, RESULTING IN A FRAGMENTARY IMAGE OF MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS AND
OVERLAPPING PLANES. OTHER DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF ANALYTICAL CUBISM WERE A
SIMPLIFIED PALETTE OF COLOURS, SO THE VIEWER WAS NOT DISTRACTED FROM THE STRUCTURE OF
THE FORM, AND THE DENSITY OF THE IMAGE AT THE CENTRE OF THE CANVAS.

GEORGE BRAQUE – GLASS ON A TABLE GEORGE BARQUE - MANDORA

SYNTHETIC CUBISM IS THE LATER PHASE OF CUBISM, GENERALLY CONSIDERED TO DATE FROM
ABOUT 1912 TO 1914, AND CHARACTERISED BY SIMPLER SHAPES AND BRIGHTER COLOURS.
SYNTHETIC CUBIST WORKS ALSO OFTEN INCLUDE COLLAGED REAL ELEMENTS SUCH AS
NEWSPAPERS. THE INCLUSION OF REAL OBJECTS DIRECTLY IN ART WAS THE START OF ONE OF THE
MOST IMPORTANT IDEAS IN MODERN ART.

SYNTHETIC CUBISM BEGAN WHEN THE ARTISTS STARTED ADDING TEXTURES AND PATTERNS TO
THEIR PAINTINGS, EXPERIMENTING WITH COLLAGE USING NEWSPAPER PRINT AND PATTERNED
PAPER. ANALYTICAL CUBISM WAS ABOUT BREAKING DOWN AN OBJECT (LIKE A BOTTLE) VIEWPOINT-
BY-VIEWPOINT, INTO A FRAGMENTARY IMAGE; WHEREAS SYNTHETIC CUBISM WAS ABOUT
FLATTENING OUT THE IMAGE AND SWEEPING AWAY THE LAST TRACES OF ALLUSION TO THREE-
DIMENSIONAL SPACE.

PABLO PICASSO – BOTTLE OF

VIEUX MARC, GLASS, GUITAR
AND NEWSPAPER
PABLO PICASSO – BOWL OF FRUIT,
JUAN GRIS – THE SUNBLIND VIOLIN, AND BOTTLE
 PALACE OF ASSEMBLY
LOCATION – CHANDIGARH, INDIA
CONSTRUCTION STARTED – 1951
COMPLETED - 1962
INAUGURATED – 1964
ARCHITECT – LE CORBUSIER
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

LE CORBUSIER’S PALACE OF ASSEMBLY PROJECT IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW ARCHITECTURE

EMPHASIZES THE RELATIONSHIP THAT CUBISM BUILDS WITH THE SURFACE. IT IS SEEN THAT THE
DIVERSITY OF THE MASS CREATED BY THE GAP AND THE SURFACES CREATED BY THE PERSPECTIVE
ARE RICH.
ENTRANCE
ENTRANCE WITH SET OF DOORS PAINTED BY LE CORBUSIER
LE CORBUSIER WANTED TO INCLUDE AN ASSEMBLY DOOR. HE CONSULTED WITH PRIME
MINISTER NEHRU FOR SYMBOLS THAT COULD BE DEPICTED ON THE DOOR TO REPRESENT THE
NEW INDIA AND ITS MODERN VISION. NEHRU, IN TURN, ENTRUSTED LE CORBUSIER TO INVENT
THEM HIMSELF.
THE DOOR IS ADORNED WITH VIBRANT COLORS AND IS DIVIDED INTO UPPER AND LOWER
HALVES. THE UPPER HALF DEPICTS MAN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COSMOS AND INCLUDES
IMAGERY REPRESENTING SOLSTICES, LUNAR ECLIPSES AND THE EQUINOX. THE LOWER HALF IS
POPULATED WITH ANIMALS AND NATURAL FORMS. A DESERT DEPICTS THE ORIGINAL ORDER OF
THE EARTH, WHILE GREENERY REPRESENTS THE GARDEN OF EDEN. THE DOOR ALSO DISPLAYS A
RIVER, TREES, BULLS, AND TURTLES, AND THE PROVERBIAL TREE OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE CENTER
OF THE DOOR BEARS FRUITS OF KNOWLEDGE. THE NEARLY 25 SQUARE FOOT DOOR, WITH ITS
ENAMELED PANELS, WAS AIRLIFTED FROM PARIS, FRANCE.
THIS ENTRANCE IS OPENED ON CERTAIN CEREMONIAL OCCASIONS.

INTERIOR LAYOUT
LE CORBUSIER BELIEVED THAT "ARCHITECTURE IS CIRCULATION", AND THE PALACE
OF ASSEMBLY IS DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE AND IDEAS.
HIGH CEILINGS AND NARROW COLUMNS MAKE THE SPACE FEEL EXPANSIVE, AND RAMPS
REPLACE STAIRS TO PROVIDE FLUID TRANSITIONS BETWEEN LEVELS. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
ITSELF IS CIRCULAR - A LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF LE CORBUSIER'S BELIEF - AND IS OFF-CENTER
WITHIN THE SPACE, CHALLENGING NEOCLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE'S FOCUS ON ORGANIZATION.
 HOUSE OF BLACK MADONNA
LOCATION – 110 00 STARÉ MĚSTO, CZECHIA
DESIGNED BETWEEN – 1911-1912
ARCHITECT – JOSEF GOCAR

THE HOUSE OF THE BLACK MADONNA IS

A CUBIST BUILDING IN THE "OLD TOWN" AREA
OF PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. IT IS CURRENTLY IN
USE AS THE CZECH MUSEUM OF CUBISM AND
INCLUDES THE GRAND CAFÉ ORIENT RESTAURANT
ON THE FIRST FLOOR.

THE HOUSE WAS GIVEN ITS NAME BY THE STONE

SCULPTURE THAT ORIGINALLY ADORNED ONE OF THE TWO
BAROQUE BUILDINGS ON THE SAME LOT. AFTER MANY
YEARS ALTERED USE IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD AND
UNDER COMMUNIST RULE, THE HOUSE WAS CLOSED IN
JANUARY 2002 AND RE-OPENED AFTER EXTENSIVE
RESTORATION IN NOVEMBER 2003.
THE ARCHITECT EMPLOYED THE CHARACTERISTIC CUBIST IDIOM
MAINLY ON THE ENTRANCE PORTAL, DORMER WINDOWS, WROUGHT-
IRON GRILLE AT THE ENTRANCE AND THE STAIRCASE BALUSTRADE; THE
ILLUSIVE PAINTING OF THE INTERIOR WALLS WITH GEOMETRIC
DESIGNS WAS EQUALLY COMPELLING. GOČÁR ALSO DESIGNED THE
INTERIOR OF THE CAFÉ ON THE FIRST FLOOR THAT WAS DOMINATED BY
HEAVY WROUGHT-IRON CHANDELIERS, BUILT-IN FURNITURE AND A BAR
COUNTER MADE OF DARK-STAINED OAK WOOD.

ORIGINALLY, THIS WAS A DEPARTMENT STORE THAT SERVED ITS

PURPOSE ONLY UNTIL 1922. FOLLOWING THE INTERIORS’ GRADUAL
DEVASTATION THAT TOOK PLACE DURING THEIR ADAPTATION INTO
OFFICE SPACES, THE BUILDING UNDERWENT RECONSTRUCTION IN
1993–1994, AFTER PLANS BY THE ARCHITECT KAREL PRAGER. GRAND
CAFÉ ORIENT WAS RE-OPENED IN 2002.

THE MUSEUM OF DECORATIVE ARTS IN PRAGUE MAKES USE OF FOUR

FLOORS ABOVE THE CAFÉ. TWO FLOORS (THE 2ND AND 3RD) ARE
DEVOTED TO THE CZECH CUBISM PERMANENT EXHIBITION. AS OF MAY
2016, THE NEXT FLOOR UP WILL HOLD REGULAR SHORT-TERM
EXHIBITIONS. THE LAST FLOOR IS MAINLY INTENDED TO HOST
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES FOR SCHOOLS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC
(E.G. ART WORKSHOPS).