HE IS NOT ONLY A CUBIST..........

I would think that if someone mentioned the name Braque, most people would immediately associate him with Cubism - and Picasso. The paintings that come to mind at once for me are these…..




MAISONS ET ARBRE 1908

PAYSAGE DE CARRIRERE SAINT DENIS 1909

LES USINES DE RIO-TINO A L'ESTAQUE 1910

NATURE MORTE AU  VIOLIN 191

Braque is infinitely more. Perhaps not as rich as Picasso by any manner of means but there are distinct periods. Some I like very much, others less so.

To begin with, George Braque  (1882-1963) is a member of the Fauve group which he discovers at the Salon d’automne in 1905. For quite a while and at L’Estaque in the south of France, he paints enthusiastically and with lots of energy. It’s definitely Fauve for me and a discovery some years ago in Grenoble when I had seen « Die Brucke ». I’m not over keen on his landscapes but there is a nude which breaks away from the other painters in that group and has a character of it’s own.



NU ASSIS 1907



FEMME NUE ASSISE -1907
There is also one nude which I swore was Picasso the first time I saw it.  How wrong could I be.




GRAND NU 1907/8
Although of course it is fascinating to divide these block buster exhibitions into periods, I do find that seeing too many pictures belonging to a certain epoque can be overwhelming. I prefer to see one or two and not many more. Like these for instance....



Arbres à L'Estaque 1908

TETE DE FEMME 1909

PAYSAGE DE CARRIRERE SAINT DENIS 1909

At the end of 1907, Braque meets Picasso in his studio called the Bateau-Lavoir in Paris and is taken aback completely when he sees an unfinished version of « Les Demoiselles d’Avignon » . The start one of the richest and fullest periods in art history of the 20th century. Cubism. Cézanne is great influence in his work, especially in color. However, the relationship between Picasso’s work and Braque is so astonishing to the extent that for a while neither  signed their work and it was difficult to see who was who. At the beginning, it’s possible to tell what the « object » is in the painting. As time goes on, it becomes more and more difficult.



PETITE GUIATRE CUBISTE 1910


SODA 1912

GUITARE ET VERRE1917


NATURE MORTE A LA SONATE 1919


NATURE MORTE A LA GUITARE 1919


In 1912, paper appears in the cubist paintings. Wood, sand, words - in fact whatever they feel is possible. It’s a confusing period as paintings are not realistic nor are they collages. A little later, Braque’s work becomes more realistic and it is possible to see a figure or something in the painting.








LE DAMIER 1913
LA GUITARE


GUITARE ET COMPOTIER 1919

RHUM ET GUITARE 1918

The break comes with his feminine figures from 1922 onwards. This was a period which was virtually unknown for me. I can imagine that the critics were somewhat dumfounded by his « Canéphore ».
Caryatids with baskets on their heads are called canephora (In ancient Greece, or maidens who carried sacred offerings in baskets upon their heads to the altar on the acropolis). Such a rupture with his previous work.


CENOPHORE 1922
La nuit 1951

FEMME A LA MANDOLINE 1922/23









As years go by, his style changes again and black becomes a color. There is also this period where he paints his studio. Not quite cubist but not quite realistic either.






GRANDE NATURE  MORTE BRUNE 1932

FEMME A LA PALETTE 1936



Tryptique





Atelier XI 1952/56

Atelier Vl - 1951

Atelier V -1945

VANITÉS 41/45

Mythology, birds in space and especially the latter are prevalent in the last part of his life. There is a marvelous ceiling in the Louvre which I discovered quite by accident some years ago. You may remember it. His last painting is dark and forbidding and was found on the easel after he died in August 1963. Just over 50 years ago 



NU COUCHÉE 1935 - IF ONLY FOR THIS, MY DAY WAS MADE

LA SARCLEUSE - LAST PAINTING 1961/63

BARQUE SUR LA GRÈVE 1956

BIRDS IN FLIGHT 1959

A TIRE-D'AILE 1956-61


OISEAU 1, OISEAU 2 - OVER THE EXIT DOOR.



Pierrette and I were lucky. The crowds were there but it was not the crush of people who have been crowding into the Grand Palais since the exhibition started. I  tried to go a few times. The masses were daunting. It was much nicer to wait for Pierrette’s visit to Paris and see the exhibition together in relatively good conditions.

What periods do I like best? The cubist of course but now having discovered his latter periods in much more detail, I will be looking out for these too.

And just to take periods out of their context....how many would you have known where by Georges Braque?

5  BANANES ET DEUX POIRES 1908


GUITARE ET VERRE1917

NATURE MORTE A LA BOUTEILLE ET LANGOUSTE 48/50

LA CHAISE 1947

MON VELO  1948/60

LOOKING A BIRDS

L'oiseau et son nid 1955

LE BILLARD 1947-49

NATURE MORTE CUBISTE


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