Analytical Cubism: The second phase.

What is it? Began as a collaboration between Braque and Picasso, circa 1910-1912. Analytical cubism is marked by the break down or analysis of parts which are reassembled according to the artists wishes. (Like looking into a broken mirror). A radical shift of emphasis from perceptual to conceptual: from the eye-----to the mind. “I paint things as I think them, not as I see them”- Picasso. Picasso and Braque wanted to provide a new vision of pictorial space and form.

A new attitude is demanded from the viewer to ‘search’ for images or clues. Becoming more abstracted, suggested or implied reality. Creates the illusion of space without resorting to traditional means, emphasizing 2d space: Space without illusionism. Flattening the picture plane and increasing reliance on geometric forms “The Portuguese”. 1911. Georges Braque

“When fragmented objects appeared in my paintings it was a way for me to get as close as possible to the object as painting allowed.” – Braque.

So how was this achieved? Fragmenting / faceting: This helped establish depth (overlapping) and movement in space and enabled the whole reality to be shown simultaneously. Objects and background are linked by ‘passages’ and volume is reduced. “Portrait of Kahnweiler”- Picasso, 1910, oil on canvas

Line: Defines and separates planes. Colour: Monochromatic/ reduced palette, ‘neutral’ colours- black, whites, grey, ochre's, browns. Line: Defines and separates planes. Format: Vertical elongated format. Depth: Is limited or confused, light and darks pull forward and backwards in space. Space: Seems crowded by the density of the subject area. Ambiguous and shallow

Light: From many sources, no fixed source (arbitrary) Light: From many sources, no fixed source (arbitrary). Highlights, define edges of planes. Used for decorative purposes. Subject matter: Mostly still life and portraits. Paint Application: Short, directional brushstrokes created a shimmering, almost translucent effect, emphasizing the surface. Trompe L’Oeil: Fr. “Trick the eye”. Pictorial illusionism i.e. the nail in Braque's “Violin and palette”. “Violin and palette”. George Braque.

Use of text: Words introduced, important because they are ‘conceptual’- convey meaning as well as being images. Flat, and devoid of form. Emphasizes the rift between painting and reality. The Oval canvas: Introduced to emphasize the vertical and horizontal planes and eliminated the ‘window’ effect, and helping to compact the pictorial space around the subject. “The Portuguese” 1911. Georges Braque's

“as a surgeon dissects a cadaver”. The writer and friend of Picasso, Apollinaire, wrote that he studied his objects… “as a surgeon dissects a cadaver”. Braque’s and Picasso’s techniques were like dissection and reconstruction.

Compare and contrast these two phases of cubism: “The Houses at L’Estaque” George Braque, oil on canvas,1908 “Man smoking a pipe” Pablo Picasso, oil on canvas, 1911

What has changed? How does the new Analytical phase portray the ideas, concepts, of the cubists?