Picasso's Cubism: Volume, Color, and Perspective Shift

Cubism: Breaking the Classical View

Born from the study of representing volume and rendering it on a flat surface, Picasso found a solution in his Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.

Historical Context of Volume Representation

• Since the Renaissance, artists attempted to express volume using chiaroscuro (light and shade).
• Impressionism emphasized color's role in volume, eventually leading color to dilute form.
• Gauguin returned to objects, outlining areas divided by color temperature.

Picasso went further. He suggested relief through color volumes using parallel lines. In 1907, an exhibition of Cézanne's work profoundly impacted young artists with its solid forms, causing Picasso to change his style.

Influences Leading to a New Style

Cézanne's research, unmet primitivism, and African masks were key influences causing the appearance of this new style. The primitive exoticism (Gauguin) led to an aesthetic distancing from the West. By 1910, with Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, the artistic revolution of the twentieth century began: a total breakdown of the classical view accepted for over 400 years, laying new foundations for art.

Key Characteristics of Cubism

1. Focus on Planes: More attention was paid to the planes limiting volumes rather than the volumes themselves. These increasingly independent planes eventually detonated the volume.
2. Multiple Viewpoints: There is no single viewpoint; it is multiplied. Each object can be captured simultaneously in profile and from other angles—the sum of all perspectives.
3. Color and Form: Color was not realistic; small touches or appropriate tones resulted in volumes difficult to recognize as a whole. This is known as Analytical or Geometrical Cubism.

Evolution to Synthetic Cubism

Since 1911, schematic figurative details were included so the viewer could understand part of the picture and identify with the content, making it more understandable. This led to Synthetic Cubism. Cubists also used papiers collés (collages) to give texture and elevate the tone of the pictures and planes.

The creation of a new space cannot be evaluated from a single viewpoint. The style shows not all aspects of objects, but the most characteristic ones, simplifying the object and its presentation in an inconsistent manner.

After 1913, this trend intensified, focusing only on the details and keys that determine an object's existence—the search for plastic essence. From this point, color gained greater importance in Cubist paintings.

Reception and Promotion

The public and critics were initially indignant with Cubism. However, it was supported by intellectuals like Apollinaire and Max Jacob. Dealers, especially Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, were crucial in spreading it to France and Germany, holding exclusive contact with Picasso, Braque, Gris, and others. These artists were rejected in official salons, limiting public access, though some were exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants.