<<

592 The Art of Thinking Perspective are branches of the same tree” “All religions, and arts sciences Analysis PicassoPi c a sso Synthesis Cézanne Cé B Braque ra zann q u e e Eur Respir J2014;44:592–593|DOI:10.1183/09031936.00440314 CharlesC Darwin harleha r l e s Einstein

D aarwin r

w

in DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00440314 |Copyright©ERS2014

Cubism Medicine, Alfred Hospital,Melbourne,Victoria,3004,Australia. E-mail:[email protected] Dept ofMedicine,Central ClinicalSchool,MonashUniversity; DeptofAllergy, Immunology andRespiratory Tom Kotsimbos separated that from hasgone everything before but intimately connected to allthat willfollow. exuberantthe genius (Picasso) andintellectual methodical the (Braque) are alljuxtaposed, somewhat sudden, space-timehascollapsed into adimension of art painter’sthe studio inAtelier VIIIfl as arapport exists between them, and between them and the viewer “synthetic” stages of cubism). For Braque, harmony isattained “ when Braqueof about hadlearned everything during art his long life (incorporating “analytical” both and of Braque that experiment towards this carried its natural conclusion. VIIIis acomplex summation Picasso and Braque were kindred spirits created asthey cubist anew vocabulary, but it Atelier isthe series Braque’s styles), art quest wasfor ultimate resolution leading to an oeuvre that evolved gradually. Initially, hungeredPicasso for and constant beginnings so new and abrupt change wasinevitable (mistresses and monumental the echoed they nudes and mythical forms of reshaping world. of and our art modern the perspective Picasso’s proclaimed Demoiselles future the as Les Demoiselles d’Avignon distance between object and viewer and intellectualised it. Braque inparticular freed himself from allillusionistic perspective ( but in the brain ” wasinitially asimpotence. seen Later generations same duality saw very asgreatness this and painted with “ exemplify hispatient exploration of therelativity of ashe seeing waythe by and Cézanne spurred on by Braque. Cézanne’s of Mont series Sainte-Victoire nature transitoriness of . Th arethough they surroundings intheir rigidlyhardness suspended –afused that contrasts with the straight at usthrough angular eyesand medusa-like faces.Th planar shapes primitive exudethe dissonant power of forms are crowned by that magneticheads stare execution asmulti-dimensional forces inthe that shaped it. Five heroic, nudes sharply stylised whose (rivalling Renaissance the inits novel approach and to perspective); as individual and precocious inits before it was“created”; analysed asdeconstruction before synthesisedinto something completely new In reimagining three-dimensional pictorial spaceon world hasnow embraced been and to hispronouncement Picasso istrue that “ and madeinstability, and multiple indeterminacy points of staples view Th art. of modern transcend environment. their Cubism highlighted metamorphosis and change rather than permanence shattered autonomy the of individual the object but doing inso enabled objects to integrate both with and and mathematics of space, timeand dimension (Poincare, Einstein). Th primitivismthe with art of western tribal African archaic sculptural forms and inscience newestideas the strokes of intuitive analysis and synthesis, novel the geometries of Picasso’s have Demoiselles combined experiment, rework and shape hispainting towards “discovery” the that it became. In master several large canvas yearned for agrander, timelessstatement, and genius, hehadthe drive and confi seated amid and fruit women) and virtue(medicalstudent entering on left the Picasso’s wasinitially Demoiselles aBarcelona brothel that scene beganasanof allegory vice(sailor-client painted freeing up exploration the of massand void, lineand plane, colour and value. blue panes) allows for an alternative interpretation of depth perspective. Negative spaceisnow positively emphasises (pink formof colour use hued full the whilst spectrum contours of nudes the off set fragmented anatomies asdissected give usmultiple simultaneously. perspectives Muted colour further no fl Colección Masaveu, Oviedo,Spain Georges Braque: Atelier VIII,1954; Courtauld Institute ofArt,London Mont Sainte-Victoire withLarge Pine,1887; Paul Cézanne: Museum ofModernArt,New York Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907; : oor, horizon or uniform of sense depth. Th both eyes wasan explosion of intuitive creativity that took aquantum leap forward in ”. However ambiguity the that came with Cézanne’s optics “ being ere is no stillness: no fi ) and “painted space iesahuge white bird, theembodiment of thecreative force. Allof a eintegrity of from massasdistinct spacehasnow been a two-dimensional shown surface,Picasso hadbeen ” that could more be “ thepast.It wasapainti where the solitary experimentalist (Cézanne), (Cézanne), experimentalist where solitary the xed focalpoint or single source of light; and eir bodies dramatically eirbodies confront useven moved aroundmoved ”. Above lived-in the microcosm of emulti-faceted nature of Cubist art objects donot exist except in sofar both object both and visualspace with askull). But Picasso’s fully experienced Je est un autre ng that was“destroyed”

not in the eye ”. e e quantum unnecessary unnecessary

. s a e r e h W ”. dence to to dence by icy icy by

Museum From the the From 593