Pablo Picasso - Synthetic Cubism

In 1912, Picasso took the conceptual representation of Cubism to its logical conclusion by pasting an actual piece of oilcloth onto the canvas. This was a key watershed in Modern Art. By incorporating the real world into the canvas, Picasso and Braque opened up a century's worth of exploration in the meaning of Art.

Some of the finest Synthetic Cubist work, both visually and conceptually, are the collages. I highly recommend the stimulating Picasso and Braque: A Symposium, published in association with the "Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism" exhibition of 1992. The world's leading art scholars offer incisive essays and round table discussions of Cubism. This book changed my entire conception of what art really is.


Nude, I love Eva. 1912. Oil on canvas. Museum of Art, Columbus, OH, USA.

 

The Restaurant: Turkey with Truffles and Wine. 1912. Oil on canvas.



Bottle of Pernod (Table in a Café). 1912. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Musical Instruments. 1912. Oil, sawdust and gypsum on cardboard. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Tavern (The Ham). 1912. Oil and sawdust on cardboard. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Violin and Guitar. 1913. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

 

Clarinet and Violin. 1913. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Guitar. 1913. Charcoal, pencil, ink and pastel paper. The Museum of Modern Arts, New York, NY, USA.

The Card-Player. 1913-1914. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Arts, New York, NY, USA.

Composition. Bowl of Fruit and Sliced Pear. 1914. Wallpaper, gouache and plumbago on cardboard. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Fruit Vase and Bunch of Grapes. 1914. Paper, gouache, tempera, sawdust and pencil. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Harlequin. 1915. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Arts, New York, NY, USA.

Portrait of Olga in the Armchair. 1917. Oil on canvas. Musée Picasso, Paris, France.

Sketch of Set for the "Parade". 1917. Peinture a la colle. The National Museum of Modern Art, Paris, France.

Harlequin with a Guitar. 1918. Oil on wood. Collection H. Berggruen, Paris, France.

Pierrot. 1918. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Arts, New York, NY, USA.

The Bathers. 1918. Oil on canvas. Musée Picasso, Paris, France.

Still-Life. 1918. Oil on canvas. The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA.

Still-Life with a Pitcher and Apples. 1919. Oil on canvas. Musée Picasso, Paris, France.

Still-Life. 1919. Oil on canvas.