Historical Context

The Mandola was painted in 1910 in

France which was when cubism was at
its height. Picasso and Braque had
already established the style and it was
gaining recognition particularly
amongst other artists.

Examine three paintings by different artists,

demonstrating how they are associated with cubism
Introduction: The three paintings I chose to research were the Mandola by Georges Braque, Les
Demoiselles dAvignon by Pablo Picasso, and the Man in a caf by Juan Gris. These three artists
influenced the cubist movement hugely and all painted shocking paintings. Multiples similarities
between them can be seen, for example that they all contain a still life. They can all be associated
with cubism and I chose to research each, as I liked the lack of emphasis on modelling and depth
and instead of the different viewpoints. The artists were influenced by the modern world and I like
how they changed their art to show this. In the Mandola I enjoy the fact the painting almost
appears 3D. In Les Demoiselles dAvignon I like the direct stare given that shocks the viewers and
shows manets influence. . In the Man in a caf I like the modern man in his top hat cradling his

This Painting can be associated with

Cubism because:
Gris utilized cubist techniques to
disorder his subjects face. His identity
is not defined by a single face, but the
combination of many different view
points
It is a still life and a scene of leisure
It is formed of different geometrical
shapes
It is designed to be a new way of seeing

Historical Context:

The Mandola By Georges Braque

This painting can be associated with cubism because:

The subject matter is a still life of a man with a guitar and guitars
were a particular favourite with cubist artists
It feels as if we are looking at the painting from different
viewpoints. The painting seems almost 3D not 2D
It has a monocratic colour scheme which was typical of analytical
cubism
The surfaces of the painting intersect at seemingly random
angles, removing a coherent sense of depth. This is typical as
they were rejecting the traditional ways of achieving perspective
Braque deliberately wanted to create new ways of seeing with
this painting and new way of creating images to compete with
early 20th century technology
Visual Analysis
The painting is of a man is playing the musical instrument, a mandola.
The mandola is similar in appearance to the classical lute. The
composition is an angular confused form, the painting is fractured and
informal. The colour is made up of restrained, metallic, and flat colours.
It used a narrow palette. There is little light and many dark contours.
Little sense of directional light can be seen and the painting is made up
of a narrow tonal range. The material is Oil on canvas and it is
unfinished. The painting has little depth as it is difficult to distinguish the
figure from the background. It appears compressed and shallow. The
painting is not on a grand scale and is mid-size.

Les Demoiselles dAvignon By

Pablo Picasso

The painting was

painted in 1907 at the
time when Picasso and
Braque were working
competitively. At the
time the conditions of
seeing were changing
due to the huge
industrial and
technological advances.

Man in a caf By Juan Gris

Visual Analysis
This painting can be associated with Cubism because:

The faces are clearly based on African/ Iberian masks which

was a huge influence on Cubism as it reject typical artistic
conventions
There is a still like of the fruit at the bottom of the painting
There is a variety of viewpoints due to the fractured
appearance
A sense of doubt about the subject is found. This is
because the process was more important
The painting was designed to shock and to be a new vision
which was typical of early cubist painters.

Visual Analysis:
The composition is angular, fractured, chaotic and informal. The
figures are arranged randomly and it appears very confusing.
There is a flat area of colour and it is mainly tones of oranges
and blues (complimentary colours.) There are dark contours and
little to no tonal modelling can be seen. It is oil on canvas and
has an unfinished quality to it. There is no depth and the
painting is very ambiguous. It is a very large painting on a
grand scale which was uncommon at the time for a nonhistorical painting.

The composition is extremely chaotic and

confusing but also organized as Juan Gris used
the ideal mathematical proportions of the
Golden Section to construct his compositions.
The complex system of grids and geometrical
make up this image of a caf. The colours are
dark and mysterious with large patches of white.
The painting appears extremely flat with
geometrical shapes of colour. There are dark
contours and a strange shadow beneath the
man. This modern man of taste, complete with
top hat and black suit, rests one hand on a
chair, while cradling a glass of absinthe in the
other. It is painted on canvas and appears
finished. There is no depth to the painting and
Historical Context:
The painting was completed in 1912 so was near
the end of the cubist movement. The inclusion of
the letters "PIC" and "AP" to the left of the man's
shoulder can be understood as a reference to
Picasso, the co-creator of Cubism, and Guillaume
Apollinaire, the movement's fervent critical