Picasso And Kandinsky example essay topic

In this paper I will be comparing the expressionist art movement with the cubist art movement. I will discuss some of the artists that made these movements a stepping-stone for the other movement that followed. I will look at Picasso and Kandinsky to name a couple. Expressionism, which began in 1905, was the term used for early 20th century art that conveyed emotional and spiritual preoccupations of the artist, using a variety of styles and subject matter (Arnason 124).

These expressionist artists built on techniques of the post-impressionist movement; they generally relied on simple and powerful shapes that were direct and sometimes crude expression (Arnason 124). All this was to heighten the emotional response of the viewer experiencing the art (Arnason 124). Expressionist drew inspiration from their own background traditions of medieval sculptures and folk art (Arnason 124). They also referred back to art from Africa and Oceania (Arnason 124). One of the more famous artist that also referred to African art for inspiration was Pablo Picasso. Picasso with Braque have been credited for developing cubism.

Cubism was a revolutionary turn in the history of art. It was not an abstract style in itself, but it gave way to the many varieties of nonobjective art that made its way throughout Europe (Arnason 156). It can be seen as a more radical expression of the philosophy that justified the artistic thoughts and innovations of the Impressionism and Post-Impressionism movement (Karmel 21). Vasily Kandinsky is one of the more famous artist recognized from the expressionist movement. Born in Moscow 1866, he studied law at the University of Moscow, and declined a professorship to be able to go and study painting (Arnason 134). History of Modern Art textbook says that he always had devoted much time to the questions between music and art (135).

When you look at Kandinsky's works, it seems that the strokes he made had a rhythmic lines, and colors to them. Picasso on the other, want you see is just all kinds of different size shapes mixing together. When I look at Picasso cubist work I tend to not be able to tell what it was he was looking at when he painted. If I don't read the titles of some of his works I would have never known it to be that. Pablo Picasso was born in Spain in 1881. He achieved legendary status within his time life, in which his career dominated three-quarters of the century (Arnason 155).

He studied art since he was a child. His father being a painter I bet must have helped bit. But he did become rebellious against his father (Arnason 158). He continued to paint and had one of his paintings selected to be hung in Paris in an exposition (Arnason 158).

Braque was also associated with the cubism period. For he met Pablo Picasso in 1907 who had studied works of Cezanne and had also been fascinated with the Demoiselles. Braque worked very close to Picasso that their works resemble each others so much that I cannot differentiate them when they were in the analytic cubism period (About. com). In 1912 Picasso searched for an alternative mode of painting, which led him to the invention of collage Arnason 172).

It was started by a small piece Still Life with Chair Caning which had text in it (172). One thing with Kandinsky is that he uses bright colors as opposed to Picasso who tends to stay on more on the earth tone colors, especially through the Blue and Rose years. The textbook mentions these periods were caused by the guilt that he had for abandoning his friend, and after his friend committed suicide is what prompt the Blue period (Arnason 158).

Bibliography

Arnason, H.H. History of Modern Art 5th Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003.
Karmel, Pepe. Picasso and the Invention of Cubism. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2003.
About. com "Georges Braque The painter who, in the early 1900's, together with Pablo Picasso, started Cubism.