A rchive Date
[ 23-02-2005 ]
Category
[ Art & Literature ]
sub-Categoy
[ Georges Braque ]
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[http://painting.about.com/hobbies/painting/library/blbraque.htm
Georges Braque Resources
Georges Braque (1882-1963)
Still Life with a Violin autumn 1912 Charcoal and pasted paper
Scan courtesy of Mark Hayden
www.artchive.com
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Georges Braque was a French painter who, with Pablo Picasso, originated cubism and became one of the major figures of 20th century art.
Braque was born on May 13, 1882 near Paris and grew up in the port city of Le Havre. The son of a house painter he originally apprenticed in that trade. By 1902, he had settled in Paris to pursue his studies in fine arts. Deeply influenced by the work of the Fauves and, in particular, Henri Matisse and André Derain, he adopted this style between 1906-1907. By 1908 Braque painted in a manner which clearly showed the influence of Paul Cézanne and his use of distorted forms and unconventional perspective -- a style that would eventually lead to cubism.
Braque studied the effects of light and perspective and the technical means that artists used to create these effects. Between 1908-1913 he questioned everything that was conventional. His approach was very similar to Picasso's and they collaborated for several years producing works of neutral colors and complex patterns of forms -- a style that would later be called analytic cubism. His works in this period included Violin & Pitcher, 1910 and experimentation with collages in which both he and Picasso integrated everyday objects, such as newspaper and fabric, into their works.
Their collaboration continued until Braque enlisted in the French army in 1914 where he was severely wounded. He resumed his artistic career alone in 1917. He developed a more personal style characterized by brilliant color and textural surfaces. After he moved to the Normandy coast, human figures reappeared in his paintings and he continued his fascination with complex still life compositions.
After a prolific career producing paintings, graphics, and sculptures, Braque died in Paris on August 31, 1963. |
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