Lesson 7: Cubism, Surrealism and Abstract Art
The early 20th century witnessed a revolutionary transformation in Western art. Rejecting traditional realism, artists pioneered three monumental movements: Cubism (fragmentation of form), Surrealism (unconscious dreamscapes), and Abstract Art (pure non-representational expression).
The Triad of Modern Western Art Movements
Cubism (1907 – 1920)
Core Concept: Originated in Paris around 1907. Pioneer Paul Cezanne declared: "Everything in nature must be treated as a cylinder or sphere."
Key Artists: Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Fernand Léger.
Characteristics: Subjects like still life, landscapes, and portraits were broken into geometrical motifs. Priority was placed on construction over emotion, prioritizing structural form over color richness.
Surrealism (1924 – 1955)
Core Concept: Movement using images of the unconscious mind, heavily influenced by psycho-analysis and originating from the Dadaist revolt against artistic rules.
Key Artists: Salvador Dali, Giorgio de Chirico.
Characteristics: Depicts dreams, nightmares, absurd groupings, and symbolic imagery crafted with highly realistic and academic painting techniques.
Abstract Art (1910 Onwards)
Core Concept: General term for non-representational art that rejects realistic depiction of the physical world.
Key Artists: Wassily Kandinsky, Robert Delaunay, Piet Mondrian.
Characteristics: Uses pure lines, shapes, and colors to give pictorial form to abstract ideas, comparing art's freedom directly to music.
Man with Violin (Analytical Cubism by Pablo Picasso)
Picasso's Artistic Evolution: Born in Malaga, Spain, Picasso worked as a painter, sculptor, and ceramist. His career evolved through distinct phases:
- Blue Period (1900–1902): Characterized by blue-green tones expressing sadness/symbolism.
- Rose Period (1905–1907): Characterized by warm pink colors.
- African Artifact Phase: Influenced by African tribal masks and sculptures.
- Cubist Phase (From 1915): Made him world-famous by shattering 3D form into flat patterns.
Analysis of "Man with Violin": Painted in 1912, this work is a quintessential example of Analytical Cubism. Three-dimensional forms are broken into flat geometric shapes, overlapping so that different viewpoints (front and back) are seen simultaneously.
Color & Composition: The human figure holding the violin is fragmented into cube-like structures using a restrained palette of shades of browns and green, achieving unified harmony. Picasso redefined reality as something "more real than that of nature."
"Guernica"
One of Picasso's most celebrated masterpieces, Guernica, was painted in response to the tragic bombing during the Spanish Civil War.
- Form Shattering: Deconstructs physical reality into geometric grids.
- Earth Tones: Uses muted browns and greens to keep focus on structure.
Persistence of Memory (Surrealism by Salvador Dali)
About the Artist: Salvador Dali was a Spanish painter, filmmaker, and writer. Famed for his eccentric theatrical personality and masterly realistic technique, Dali drew subject matter directly from his dreams and nightmares.
Analysis of "Persistence of Memory": Painted in 1931, this miniature masterpiece depicts a quiet, desolate desert landscape symbolizing life after all wars and human extinction.
Core Symbolic Motifs:
- Melting Clocks: Soft, drooping watches rendered with hyper-realistic texture create a sense of a disturbed mind and fluid time.
- Crawling Ants: Swarming over a watch face like bugs over rotting food, forming a jewel-like ornament.
- Unconventional Grouping: Objects are placed out of normal context to generate a new symbolic pictorial language.
Fantastic Corpus
Besides Persistence of Memory, Dali left behind iconic surrealist creations:
- • Vilabertin
- • Large Harlequin
- • Small Bottle of Rum
- • Honey is Sweeter than Blood
Black Lines (Abstract Art by Wassily Kandinsky)
Pioneer of Non-Representational Art: Russian-born Wassily Kandinsky was a primary founder of abstract painting. He laid the theoretical foundations for abstract art through three major series: Impressions, Improvisations, and Compositions.
Musical Analogy: Kandinsky strongly believed painting should achieve pure abstraction just as music does, operating without needing to imitate physical objects.
Analysis of "Black Lines" (1913):
- Line Technique: Sketchy black lines look like Indian ink, but were actually painted using black oil paint.
- Color Spots: Bright spots of color look as if applied by the fingers of a giant hand rather than traditional brushes.
- Skeleton-like Diagram: Pure diagrammatic simplicity where lines and shapes operate freely with lives of their own.
Musical Abstractions
- Accompanied Contrast
- Yellow Accompaniment
- Angular Structure
Key Technical Terminology Glossary & Comparative Matrix
Textbook Glossary & Terms
Enlisted Paintings Comparative Matrix
| Artwork Title | Artist & Movement | Date & Medium | Size & Location | Defining Technical Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man with Violin | Pablo Picasso Analytical Cubism |
1912 Oil on canvas |
100 × 73 cm Philadelphia Museum of Art |
3D figure broken into geometric shapes, brown/green tones, overlapping multi-viewpoints. |
| Persistence of Memory | Salvador Dali Surrealism |
1931 Oil on canvas |
9 ½" × 13" MoMA, New York |
Melting clocks, crawling ants, bare post-war landscape, dream-like subconscious logic. |
| Black Lines | Wassily Kandinsky Abstract Art |
Dec 1913 Oil on canvas |
4' 3" × 4' 3 ¼" Guggenheim Museum, NY |
Black oil paint lines looking like Indian ink, color spots like giant finger marks, musical abstraction. |