| |
| links |
| GEORGE BRAQUE |
George Braque's career spanned nearly sixty years, yet it is the work he created and the innovations he made during the latter part that have traditionally received the most attention. Arriving in Paris at the beginning of the 19th century, Braque at first experimented with Impressionism, then in 1906, he adopted the exhilarating style of the Fauves. In the fall of 1907, he became friends with Picasso, and after viewing his revolutionary Les Demoiselles d'Avignon , he modified his style, and produced a series of landscapes and still lifes painted during the summer of 1908 in which he began to explore the permanent, basic structure of nature. Building on Cézanne's influence, Braque developed, through sharp and interlocking planes, a representation of volume and space. Picasso, who independently had been moving in a similar direction, soon joined Braque and together they developed Cubism. From 1956 until his death, Braque was preoccupied with the subject of birds, both in his oils and prints. In the center of this print, the white bird is emphasized through contrast and simplicity. Framed by an irregular solid green oval, the bird, delineated by gestural strokes of a grease pencil, occupies negative space and grabs our eye. Flight is implied by the two magenta strips in the form of an "x" in the background. The bird's head and wings reach out in flight as it folds its legs under. Similar to his earlier Cubist paintings, White Bird compresses space into a single plane and movement takes the position of primary importance. ARTISTS IN PERMANENT COLLECTION |
|
 PANNELL ART GALLERY
|
