Picasso and Braque, Pioneering Cubism by William Rubin (Book)

About the Item

The unfolding of the Cubist idea in the years before World War I was perhaps the key episode in the development of modern art. Yet the fact that Cubism emerged from creative dialogue between two artists, extending over a period of more than six years, made it a phenomenon virtually unprecedented in the history of art. Picasso and Braque, the movement's two principal pioneers, together sought to redefine the nature of visual thinking. By examining the interlocking work of these two artists in a depth never before attempted, this book seeks to give a sense of the dynamic, day-to-day progression of discovery from which would emerge a visual dialectic for the art of the century. Important as are the individual masterpieces of 1910-12, the summit of Picasso's and Braque's Cubism, it is the multiple interrelationships among these objects which illuminate the creative process with the greatest clarity, and which constitute Cubism's most significant bequest to subsequent generations. The dialogue between Picasso and Braque endured through either meeting or letters from 1907-1914 and contributed to an enormously influential, shared vision of painting at which neither artist would have arrived alone. Braque later described their relationship during these years as being akin to that of "two mountaineers roped together." He recalled "We said things to each other that nobody will ever know and no one could ever understand." This book, published to accompany a major exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, contains more than four hundred plates, encompassing paintings, collages, papiers colles, and construction sculptures as well as numerous drawings and prints. It includes masterpieces from all the major phases of Picasso's and Braque's pre-war Cubism. And without exception, works that the artists executed in coloured mediums are here reproduced in colour. William Rubin's essay, analyzes the interaction between their works that allowed Picasso and Braque to develop their remarkable visual language. In addition, a comprehensive chronology of documentary sources, based on extensive new research by Judith Cousins, provides a detailed record of the relations between the two artist during these watershed years. The book addresses questions of enduring importance to the art of our century while presenting, in the most careful reproduction, some of the landmarks of modern art. 460 pages. 2550 grams.

Dimensions:

Height: 11.13 in (28.28 cm)Width: 9.32 in (23.68 cm)Depth: 1.63 in (4.15 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Paper

Period:

20th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1989

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.

Seller Location:

North Yorkshire, GB