Humanism (Humanist Photography)

What is humanism?

Humanism is a philosophical and ethical stance which emphasizes the value, dignity and agency of human beings. It is based around connectivity. It prioritizes reason, critical thinking and overall evidence over simple superstition which overall promotes the idea that humans can solve problems and improve the world through rational thought and cooperation.

What are the different types of humanism?

Renaissance humanism is a movement from the 14th-17th centuries that focused on reviving classical learning and literature.

Secular humanism is a modern perspective that rejects religious beliefs and emphasizes science, ethics and human rights.

Religious humanism is a worldview that intergrades humanist principles with religious traditions, such as unitarian universalism, which is a liberal religious movement characterized by a “free and responsible search for truth and meaning”.

Union Link

Humanism in photography is about focusing on human connection,empathy and shared human experience. My project will explore emotional bonds through union. For example the unity of people through family,work or community.

Conclusion of humanism

At its core, humanism seeks to promote human welfare, progress, and fulfillment without relying on supernatural beliefs.

Artists to reference

Henri Cartier- Bresson

Who was he?

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French artist and humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as capturing a decisive moment. Cartier-Bresson was one of the founding members of Magnum Photos in 1947.

The decisive moment

It refers to the precise instant when all the visual and emotional elements in a scene come together perfectly, creating a powerful and meaningful image. Cartier-Bresson described it as “the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms.” This means that a photographer must anticipate action, composition, and emotion to capture a fleeting, yet impactful, moment.

How does he refer to Humanism?

Henri Cartier-Bresson’s imagery is deeply connected to humanism, particularly humanist photography, which focuses on capturing the dignity, emotions, and everyday lives of people. His emphasis on the human condition, his photography often depicts ordinary people in moments of joy, struggle, contemplation or connection. His work highlights the universal aspects of human life, emphasizing these shared experiences of emotions throughout different cultures and societies.

His uses spontaneity and authenticity to reflect the humanist approach. The ideas of the decisive movement reflects his aim to capture life as it unfolds naturally, rather than staging or manipulating a scene, he tends to be very candid. This respects truth and individuality.

He shows a clear understanding of social awareness through his documentary work. Many of his images document history events and cultural movement, which offers insight into human struggles and triumphs. His work in war zones for example and daily life which reflects his humanist concern for social justice and awareness.

He proves to be non intrusive within his respectful approach. Unlike some photographers who might exploit their subjects his work shows a deep respect for human dignity. He personally believed in being an observer rather than an intruder, belding into the environment around him which enabled him to capture these authentic moments.

Henri travelled extensively whether it be across India and China or even the U.S, Europe and beyond, he managed to capture many diverse human experiences. His global outlook aligns with secular humanist ideals, which value cultural exchange, empathy and mainly a clear understanding across borders rather than post colonialism.

In conclusion his work is clearly a visual form of humans, it celebrated life, respects human dignity and captures the many universal emotions that connect people across cultures. His images can help remind us of the beauty,complexity and resilience of humanity.

Image analysis/focus

This is up there with some of his most famous decisive moments shots. This image capturers a an mid-air as he leaps over a puddle, being perfectly suspended in time. The photograph follows the rule of thirds, with the leaping man positioned slightly off-center, creating a clear dynamic tensions. This use of framing is subtle yet effective. The eye is naturally drawn to the man’s silhouette and the reflection in the water which mirrors his movement. The frozen movement allows for a sense of suspension and grace, showing beauty in what would normally be seen as an ordinary action. His reflection in the puddle adds symmetry and balance, which gives emphasis on the fleeting nature of the moment. This image is in black and white which enhanced the contrast between light and dark, the use of soft lighting and diffused shadows creates a surrealist atmosphere, feeling almost dreamlike. The fence and the urban elements in the background establish context and environment, creating a clear setting through the scene. With the use of the blurry industrial backdrop contrasting with the sharp silhouette it creates a very clear subject. The man’s leap may symbolize change, transition or even uncertainty as he is frozen in air before meeting the solid ground, Reality vs illusion, movement vs stillness.

How does this connect to humanism?

It represents the spontaneity and rhythm of life, showing an everyday person in an ordinary moment that becomes extraordinary through Cartier-Bresson’s lens. The wooden ladder in the water has been likely placed as a sort of makeshift bridge, which suggest improvisation and resilience, which are key themes central to humanism.

How does this connect to union?

It connects in many ways both visually and metaphorically. The image captures a perfect harmony between movement and stillness, therefore uniting the two realities into one frame. It can also be seen as a union of man and environment, where the man appears to be a part of the urban landscape blending in seamlessly reinforcing a humanistic connection to surroundings’. The action of leaping over water is universally relatable, creating an emotional connection with the viewer, speaking to shared human challenges. The elements of the image are arranged in a way that feels harmonious and interconnected, this acts as a visual bridge unitin

I wish to explore food and wine and how it brings people together, How people come together over a meal and how they can work together to create something special. I also wanted to explore food being paired with wine to bringing out certain flavours, and accentuate the enjoyment of the meal. I aim to take not only still life photos and group photos, but some showing the process which leads to a meal whether that be the walk to a picnic and the set up, or the meal preparation and cooking process.

Claude Monet

Claude Monet was an artist, essential to the impressionist movement. He has a unique style, repeating paintings of the same area, focusing on different things or different lights changes, these were called stacks and helped shape his style.

Monet was the oldest child of a grocer, spending much of his childhood on the Normandy coastline. His father took over the ship chandlering business, allowing Monet to gain access and knowledge to every part of the Normandy coastline, learning each detail and how nature responded. He became known for his art at 15, drawing caricatures and pencil sketches of sailing ships, both deep in details and technical understanding. As he grew up, his aunt (an amateur painter) began to train Monet. However, his final style did not begin until he met Eugène Boudin who taught Monet about the idea of painting outside of a studio. This shaped Monet’s work for the next 60 years to come, looking at how to ‘transform perception into pigment’.

Monet and Impressionism

He was essential to the impressionist movement as he created a new world of painting, instead of the traditional reconstruction of memories and sketches in a studio Monet painted in the scene itself. He inspired others to create outdoors, and movement inspired by light and colour. Monet was never one for formal training and took to working alongside or attending informal art schools to further his skill. However, even when completing military service in Africa his art was never left behind, instead a whole new skill was learnt based on new light conditions and colours in comparison to France. Large chunks of his work are thought to be based on the romanticism paintings but a more colourful, abstract alternative. Others followed his lead, creating a movement of outdoor artists capturing light in their paintings with little attention to other elements creating the slightly abstract, bright paintings we know now as the impressionist movement.

How does photography link to impressionism?

While Impressionism is an art movement, I want to replicate it to some degree within my photography project. This could be through colours and light. I like the idea of using a sunny day and slow shutter speed to create the abstract blur of colour. Composition is not the first thought in Impressionism, which is unusual for photography however I think it will be a good prompt to get me to look at photos through a further artistic lens deepening my story rather than just getting a solely good photo.

Photo analysis 

A defining painting in the impressionist art movement, the vibrant greens distracting from the blurred lines, mixing colours and textures. It is striking to look at, a mixture of bright colours and slightly abstract lines. The scene is a pond Monet filled with water lilies himself, never planning on painting them. Once he felt he had completed the bridge and pond ‘build’ he was captivated by its colour and immersive capabilities of the landscape. The painting itself is a small, cropped view of the bridge and the water with the lilies, unlike other landscapes there is no sky. While it uses bright colours to capture the viewers’ attention and provide them with an immersive experience the colours are cool toned with pops of pinks and yellows. The frame is predominantly filled with the bridge in the upper third and the lilies in the foreground. With the bushes and taller plants framing the photo around the edge and background. It reminds me of a summer’s day, bright and cheerful using the slight abstract appearance, caused by blotted brush strokes, to force the viewer to look at the colour, the light. The impressionist movement was based around light and how it changes reflecting the natural world, Monet mastered this. 

Mandy Barker is a British contemporary artist whose work is primarily focused on environmental issues, particularly marine pollution and the impact of human activity on the oceans. She uses photography to capture and transform the visual qualities of marine debris, creating powerful, thought-provoking works that bring attention to the crisis of ocean pollution. Her work often consists of large-scale, meticulously arranged photographs of items like plastic waste, fishing gear, and other waste which she collects herself from various beaches and oceans across the world.

Barker’s artistic practice blends a deep concern for the environment with an aesthetic sensibility that has a strong connection to abstract art. One of the key features of her work is her ability to take the debris, which might otherwise be overlooked or discarded, and reframe it into something visually striking, sometimes resembling intricate patterns or geometric forms. Barkers method shares similarities with Cubism, particularly in how the subject matter is deconstructed and then reassembled to create a new meaning. Cubism, as pioneered by artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, revolutionized the art world by breaking down objects into fragmented, abstracted forms and representing them from multiple viewpoints. This technique emphasized structure and geometry, highlighting the relationship between space, form, and perception.

In a similar way, Mandy Barker’s compositions take seemingly chaotic, discarded objects and arrange them in a way that presents a new kind of order, transforming them into complex, almost geometric patterns. In some of her series, such as “Seas of Shame” or “Beyond Drifting”, the discarded plastic and debris are intentionally arranged in flat, circular or grid-like forms. The juxtaposition of these debris items creates a kind of visual abstraction, where the viewer is encouraged to see the everyday, the discarded, and the neglected in a new, more intentional light.

Barker’s ability to arrange the debris in such a way that it appears abstract and geometric also links to Cubism as it shows the deconstruction and reassembly of form to create a new unique form. The objects, though once part of the natural world, are now transformed into art that comments on both human impact and the debris of modern life, just as Cubism redefined how we view the world and objects within it.

Soup (2013)

Mandy Barker’s “Soup” (2013) is a powerful photographic series that tackles the issue of marine pollution, specifically focusing on plastic waste in the ocean. The title “Soup” is a reference to the growing, pervasive “plastic soup” floating in the world’s oceans, a term used to describe the accumulation of plastic debris that floats and breaks down into smaller pieces in the water. This series emphasizes the shocking scale and complexity of ocean pollution, where plastic items such as bottle caps, create a visual representation of waste that is not only disturbing but also beautiful in its abstract composition, a way to catch the viewers attention.

Analysis

This piece by Mandy Barker is made up of many balls which she found discarded on beaches across the world. All of which are different colours which captures the viewers attention. The way Barker has intentionally arranged each of her images beautifully to create the look of a galaxy also captures the viewers attention and causes them to look closer and see the meaning of the image which is not so beautiful. This unique composition makes the image stand out from normal photography it almost makes the image look like it is moving. Barker has created both depth and movement with her clever placement of the images. Placing her photos against a black background also makes it stand out more and adds to the look of a galaxy. This piece could also resemble a school of fish swimming, as this also links to her whole theme of the ocean. It could show that if we carry on littering and having little care for what we put in the ocean instead of it being home for fish it will be the home for plastic.

How will I respond?

I like Mandy Barkers work as it is eye-pleasing and I also like her meaning and reason behind it all. I am going to use Barkers unique method and technique to photograph plastic wastage which I will ask my family to keep hold of for me. This will show just how much plastic people go through in short amounts of time. I will then use these images to create collages like Barker’s soup series.

“an act or instance of uniting or joining two or more things into one. especially : the formation of a single political unit from two or more separate and individual units.”

Words similar to it:

• Connecting
• Collaborating
• Merger
• Blend
• Combining
• Uniting
• Joining
• Partnership
• Relationship
• Marriage
• Sacrament
• Formation
• Relate
• Meeting
• Integrated
• Hooked
• Cooperation
• Organisation
• Corperation

 

David Hockney

David Hockney was born 9th July 1937 and is an English painter and photographer. He is an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960’s and he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th and 21st century. David Hockney was born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, the fourth of five children of Kenneth Hockney and Laura nee Thompson. He was educated at Wellington Primary School, Bradford Grammar School and Bradford College of Art.

At the Royal College of Art, Hockney featured, alongside Peter Blake in the exhibition New Contemporaries, which announced the arrival of British Pop art. He was associated with the movement, but his early works display expressionist elements as well.

When the RCA said it would not let him graduate if he did not complete an assignment of a life drawing of a live model in 1962, Hockney painted Life Painting for a Diploma in protest. He had refused to write an essay required for the final examination and said that he should be assessed solely on his artworks. His talent was recognised and he began growing his reputation. The RCA then changed its regulations and awarded him a diploma. After leaving the RCA, he taught at Maidstone College of Art, University of Iowa in 1964, University of Colorado, Boulder in 1965, University of California, Los Angeles from 1966 to 1967 and then at the University of California, Berkeley in 1967.

In 1946 he moved to LA where he was inspired to make a series of paintings of swimming pools in an acrylic medium using vibrant colours. He also captured the local surroundings of his hometown Yorkshire by painting the countryside in both oils and watercolours. Hockney has experimented with painting, drawing, printmaking, watercolours, photography, and many other media including a fax machine, paper pulp, computer applications and iPad drawing programs. The subject matter of interest ranges from still lifes to landscapes, portraits of friends, his dogs, and stage designs for the Royal Court Theatre, Glyndebourne, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

From 1999 to 2001 Hockney used a camera lucida for his research into art history as well as his own work in the studio. He created over 200 drawings of friends, family, and himself using this antique lens-based device.

Hockney explored printmaking and in 1976–77 Hockney created The Blue Guitar, a suite of 20 etchings, each utilising Crommelynck’s techniques and filled with references to Picasso. The frontispiece to the suite mentions Hockney’s dual inspiration; “The Blue Guitar: Etchings By David Hockney Who Was Inspired By Wallace Stevens Who Was Inspired By Pablo Picasso”. The etchings refer to themes in a poem by Wallace Stevens, The Man with the Blue Guitar. 

Joiners

Hockney began to produce photo collages in the early 1980’s, which in his early explorations within his personal photo albums, he referred to as ‘joiners.’ He first used Polaroid prints and subsequently 35mm, commercially processed colour prints. Using Polaroid snaps or photolab-prints of a single subject, Hockney arranged a patchwork to make a composite image, which presented different perspectives and angles, similarly to cubism, because the photographs were taken at slightly different perspectives and at different times. One of Hockney’s major aims was discussing the way human vision works, which he explored through cubism. Some pieces are landscapes, such as Pearblossom Highway #2, others portraits including Kasmin 1982; and My Mother, Bolton Abbey, 1982.

The creation of the ‘joiners’ occurred accidentally, when he noticed in the late 1960’s that photographers were using cameras with wide-angle lenses. He did not like these photographs because they looked somewhat distorted. While working on a painting of a living room and terrace in Los Angeles, he took Polaroid shots of the living room and glued them together, not intending for them to be a composition on their own. On looking at the final composition, he realised it created a narrative, as if the viewer moved through the room. He began to work more with photography after this discovery, stopping painting for a while to pursue this new technique exclusively.

However over time, he discovered what he could not capture with a lens, saying: “Photography seems to be rather good at portraiture, or can be. But, it can’t tell you about space, which is the essence of landscape. For me anyway. Even Ansel Adams can’t quite prepare you for what Yosemite looks like when you go through that tunnel and you come out the other side.” Frustrated with the limitations of photography and its ‘one-eyed’ approach, he returned to painting.

His Work

Joiners-

Paintings-

Analysis of 1 Photograph and 1 Painting

This collage consists of multiple Polaroid images all taken at slightly different angles and at slightly different times and they are then pieced together in an abstract way, similar to cubism (joiners). The Polaroids in this image use natural lighting coming in from the outdoors through the door in the background. There are also high levels of control in these photographs, as Hockney has manipulated the angle and timing of which he has taken the photos. He also has high levels of control when piecing together the Polaroids, so he could create a unique arrangement each time. Each Polaroid presents contrast between the one arranged next to it, as they display a slightly different setting/object at a slightly different angle/ perspective.

There are a range of different colours in this ‘joiner,’ including the blue background, the green and brown in the background of the outdoors Polaroid, white, red, yellow, blue and pink, in all different shades and tones. There are also lots of light and dark tones throughout this image due to the natural sunlight shining through the backdoor, compared to the more shaded indoor Polaroids. Some different textures can also be seen through the images, due to the texture of the outdoors and the objects, such as the blanket indoors.

There are lots of different Polaroids, which are all square shape, which are pieced together to create a new unique form each time they are arranged and rearranged, which presents a range of different perspectives and angles in doing so. The main viewpoint in the image is the old lady sat on the chair in the centre and foreground of the frame. The overlapping of images also creates a slight depth of surface illusion.

This ‘joiner’ relates the the Art Movement Cubism, as it presents a range of different angles and perspectives in an abstract way. Hockney also used a range of bright colours, which is also common in Synthetic Cubism.

The idea behind this image is also a lot deeper, as the process of taking multiple different images all at different times and different angles and printing them out and then having to arrange them in an aesthetic and unique way takes a lot of time, which I think is symbolised through the old women in the picture, as he often takes images of older people when creating his joiners.

This image contains a range of bright vibrant colours, such as blues, greens, yellows, reds, blacks, whites, oranges, purples and greys in all different shades. This painting is also very abstract, as it displays a range of different angles and perspectives, similarly to cubism, and because of all the bright colours used in this painting it relates to Synthetic Cubism the most. There is also a range of light and dark shades, as well as different warm and cool tones. Hockney has done this to create a depth of surface illusion in the painting, so different angles and perspectives can be viewed.

Hockney also presented a range of different shapes throughout these paintings in order to create a unique form with a range of angles and perspectives, as well as using different textures to do so. To create these different textures he used a range of different brush strokes and artistic techniques. The layout of these shapes and textures creates a depth of surface illusion that leads the viewpoint from the bottom of the canvas to the top of the canvas.

My Inspiration

For my photoshoots I am going to experiment with the ‘joiners,’ by taking multiple photographs at slightly different angles at slightly different times and I am going to print them up, so I can assemble them in a unique form, just how Hockney did.

I am also going to experiment with the notion of time, just how he has in his work, but I am going to do it in a slightly different way, as instead of using elderly people I am going to show the process time has on my family members. For example, I am going to use archive images of my family members and create ‘joiners’ with photographs I take of them now. However, Hockney also took pictures of people he loves, as he wanted to capture his relationships with the people he loved, including men he loved and spent time with and his parents, so I am also going to do the same as I am going to take pictures of my family members (the people I love).

My interpretation of Union is bringing people together, meaning ways that people are brough together, perhaps this could be through the people around them, family, friends or just the small interactions or particular moments that happen – even with people we associate as ‘strangers.’ I feel this is a key aspect that unite us as people, and is what brings one another close together, no matter how well you know the person or scenario. David Hockney explores this this theme throughout his work, uniting people within their environment which could be their home, office, train ride commuting, or hobbies.

I am going to explore Union on a night out. Primarily focusing on my friends and their social interactions they have with one another, ‘strangers,’ as well as myself, – exploring the ways that amuse and entertain us. I am going to follow the process of getting ready, traveling, to the actual night out . I am to capture this like document, showing you the true reality whether good or bad to different perspectives on moments. Capturing this will give this unfiltered, candid photograph expressing the true meaning of how I define Union, through my reality and how I see moments compared to others for example older generations.

Also looking at the environment that surrounds us and how we see interact within it. for examples

• Graffiti
• posters
• how people are dressed
• street wear and style
• emotions
• what stands out
• unusual moments/ out of the ordinary
• Beauty

This all forms and unites different people together as moments are expressed to us through their actions and social interactions to people but also the environment they belong to. Following peoples emotions of people expressed through the way they put on their makeup to getting ready

Editing:

Capturing photos in the dark – on the streets – using street lights, car lights, or a torches will give this unfiltered effect lighting up certain areas, enhancing shadows, whilst also hiding parts that are unlit. This will create unique focal points which expresses that particular moment, showing you moments from various ways.

• Warm lighting, candid style
• Capturing shadows

I am going to edit my photos following David Hockney photo joiners technique. I am greatly inspired by this technique of distorting images which creates fragmented, uneven, imperfect pieces that are rejoined or united together again which is completely different to the original image. This distorts not only the image itself but your response to it as the subject is not obvious, you have to look for it. This visual technique hides but also reveals narratives forming a new kind of reality, as you have to look in-depth to where you see the actual subject.

Experimenting with different ways of collaging photographs, for example sections with missing pieces, edited and slight effect. Overlapping the pieces creates the disjointed and fragmented look, that shows imperfections and dynamic leading lines.

Jean Metzinger: Loose strokes of colour fitted together creating a fragmented effect. Edit my own photos from a similar approach, each one being slightly different in colour, tone, shadows.

For this photoshoot I had the subject positioned facing into to the mirror, where I then captured the from the mirror. This created an interesting effect as you

Final Selection:

Edits Process:

Final:

Inspired by David Hockney and his photo joiners, I experimented with ways that I could use this in my own work, breaking up certain areas then layering them on top of one another, and angling them in the same formation as the subject is positioned, which created this interesting, fragmented composition. Similarly, to Hockney’s joiners I’ve exaggerated areas of the design, to make hidden details become revealed for example around the edges. This then altered the subject inside of the mirror which created looser fragmented parts, and overall disjointed parts of the subject. This created an in-depth composition which has leading lines, that lead into the photograph, in the way that the subject is presented.

Mind Map

Mood Board

Research

Cubism was a revolutionary new approach to representing reality and the first abstract style. Different views of subjects (usually objects or figures) together in the same picture, resulting in paintings that appear fragmented or abstracted (similar to a collage). Subjects are analysed, broken up and resembled in abstract form, presenting all different angles. Cubism is a very important art movement, because it opened up almost infinite new possibilities for the treatment of visual reality in art and was the starting point for many later abstract styles including constructivism and neo-plasticism.

Cubism is presented not only in paintings, but in photographs, literature, architecture and music.

Cubism was also influenced by African curiosities and many artists used African art and African hunting masks for inspiration when creating paintings and photographs influenced by cubism, like Pablo Picasso.

Types of Cubism

Cezanian Cubism – Cezanian cubism was heavily shaped by Cezanne’s geometric simplification. The cubists adopted this method of dissecting objects into geometric forms and reassembling them from multiple view points.

Analytic Cubism (Pre 1911) – Analytic Cubism is a style of painting Pablo Picasso developed with Georges Braque using monochrome brownish and neutral colours. Both artists took apart objects and “analysed” them in terms of their shapes. Picasso and Braque’s paintings at this time share many similarities.

Synthetic Cubism (Post 1912) – Synthetic Cubism saw the reintroduction of colour, while the actual materials often had an industrial reference (e.g., sand or printed wallpaper). Still lifes and occasionally heads were the principal subjects for both artists.

What Influenced Cubism

Cubism began in 1907 with Picasso’s painting Demoiselles D’Avignon which included elements of cubist style. However, the name ‘cubism’ seems to have derived from a comment made by the critic Louis Vauxcelles who, on seeing some of Georges Braque’s paintings exhibited in Paris in 1908, described them as reducing everything to ‘geometric outlines, to cubes.’

Picasso was inspired by Seurat and cezanne. George Seurat was a painter, who painted using dots, which made his paintings appear to have lots of texture and shapes within them, which inspired Picasso’s cubist paintings with different shapes and angles within them.

Paul Cezanne was a French Post-Impressionist painter and was best known for his landscapes of Mont Sainte-Victoire, the mountain near his hometown of Aix-en-Provence, France. His landscape includes a range of features that relate to cubism, such as all the different angles of the mountain, ground, homes etc. as well as the colours used within his landscape.

Pablo Picasso created cubism, so that he could challenge the traditional ideas about art and to create more abstract and expressive paintings. He also wanted to ‘express what was inside of us.’

Artists

Pablo Picasso – Born 25th October 1881 and died 8th April 1973 and was a Spanish painter and sculptor, who felt most of his adult life in France. He is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he is known for the co-founding the cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore.

Picasso demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent in his early years, painting in a naturalistic manner through his childhood and adolescence. During the first decade of the 20th century, his style changed as he experimented with different theories, techniques, and ideas. After 1906, the Fauvist work of the older artist Henri Matisse motivated Picasso to explore more radical styles, beginning a fruitful rivalry between the two artists, who subsequently were often paired by critics as the leaders of modern art.

George Braque – Born 13th May 1882- Died 31st August 1963 and he was a major 20th century French painter and sculptor. During his early years he trained to be a house painter and decorator like his father and grandfather and he also studied artistic paintings. His most notable contributions were his alliance with fauvism from 1905 and the role he played in the development of cubism. Braque’s work between 1908 – 1912 is closely associated with his colleague Pablo Picasso. Their respective Cubists works were indistinguishable for many years, yet the quiet nature of Braque was partially eclipsed by the fame of Picasso.

Braque’s paintings of 1908–1912 reflected his new interest in geometry and simultaneous perspective. He conducted an intense study of the effects of light and perspective and the technical means that painters use to represent these effects, seeming to question the most standard of artistic conventions. In his village scenes, for example, Braque frequently reduced an architectural structure to a geometric form approximating a cube, yet rendered its shading so that it looked both flat and three-dimensional by fragmenting the image. 

In 1909, he began to work closely with Pablo Picasso, who had been developing a similar proto-Cubist style of painting. At the time, Picasso was influenced by Cezanne and African masks, whereas Braque was more interested in developing Cezanne’s ideas of multiple perspectives, resulting in a joint effort between them both of cubism. Braque and Picasso, in particular, began working on the development of Cubism in 1908. Both artists produced paintings of monochromatic colour and complex patterns of faceted form, now termed Analytic Cubism.

A decisive time of its development occurred during the summer of 1911, when Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso painted side by side in Céret in the French Pyrenees, each artist producing paintings that are difficult—sometimes virtually impossible—to distinguish from those of the other. In 1912, they began to experiment with collage and Braque invented the papier collé technique (type of collaging technique, where paper is adhered to a flat mount).

Analysis of 2 Images

This painting by Pablo Picasso uses different light and dark shades/ paints to create elements of light and shade within the painting, so that Picasso could present different angles throughout his painting. He uses warm shades, like the orange and browns, as well as using cooler shades, such as the blues and greens to also create this element of different angles and perspectives.

In this image he uses orange, brown, blue, green, black and white paints in all different shades. He also adds texture to his painting by using different brush strokes to leave patterns in the paint that creates texture. He also uses a range of 2D shapes to create a flat image that has 3D elements due to the different shapes, shades, colours and textures he has used. He also uses repetition in this image, as he uses multiple shapes multiple times (2 African masks).

The layout of this painting includes 2 African masks, which are arranged next to each other with the mask in the background resting his arm on the shoulder of the mask in the foreground. Only their upper body (shoulders up) is inside the frame. The masks are the main viewpoint of this painting, specifically the mask in the foreground. There is also lots of contrast in this image, due to all the different lighter and darker shades and the different textures and shapes used.

Pablo Picasso was very inspired by African masks, which is what he has painted in his image. African masks play an important role in the Cubism Art movement. This painting is a cubist painting, due to the different angles and perspectives used in this painting and it following the Cubism manifesto.

This painting displays African masks, but I think they are to represent humans, due to the human characteristics used in the paintings (the resting of an arm on the others shoulder). The painting also uses human features, such as the masks representing human faces and the shoulders, arm, hand and fingers.

This painting by George Braque uses different light and dark shades/ paints to create elements of light and shade within the painting, so that Braque could present different angles throughout his painting. He uses mainly neutral shades, like brown, black and white rather than a range of warmer and cooler tones. However, he uses texture in his painting to create different angles and perspectives in his painting, by using different brush strokes and painting techniques to create different patterns in the paint. He also uses a range of 2D shapes to create a painting that looks 3D, even though the painting is on a flat surface.

The layout of this image includes a range of different shapes, with the main viewpoint being the centre of the image. Braque also creates a depth of surface illusion in his paintings, by having the shapes in the centre of the image smaller and the shapes on the outside of the image slightly larger. This is to create depth in the centre of the image, which leads the eye to the centre of the image (the viewpoint).

This painting plays an important role in the Cubism Art movement, as it follows the cubism manifesto and displays an abstract painting with lots of different angles and perspectives.

Manifesto

The cubist manifesto is a seminal text that outlines the principles and objectives of Cubism, emphasising the importance of abstraction and the representation of multiple perspectives within a single work of art.

The cubism manifesto was primarily written by Guillaume Apollinaire in 1911.

https://monoskop.org/images/7/73/Gleizes_Metzinger_1912_1965_Cubism.pdf

My final project is one I am passionate about but I also think it important for others to learn and understand. Having the term ‘union’ as the exam brief caused me to think about how I define the word, at first I thought politics. However quickly moved onto the idea of the union of man and land. A union we all rely on, under documented and misunderstood. Farming. As humans we could not live without the resources farmers provide, working endlessly with very little true understanding and appreciation for their work. Following this I liked the idea of focusing on one farmer, one who still uses the traditional methods and very little technology, in a way he is closer to the land listening to its cues rather than taking a modern approach. This is tricky in a modern world, reliant on technology and uncertainty but still, he remains a constant understanding working with the land not just taking from it. To start the project I want to look at art movements like romanticism and Impressionism both look to create beautiful scenes causing big emotional moments for the viewer. I like the idea of showing the vast landscapes and creating beautiful photos, I also want to include a documentary photography style. Linking the land to the farmer, the farmer to the land. To humanise the farmer I will include snippets of his life, his work, his thoughts and stories. I find many photographers who have looked at farming before don’t focus on the farmer so much as the industry. I want to capture the union between a farmer and his lifestyle, it’s tricky to separate the two instead capturing the skills, passion and raw depth of this lifestyle on an individual. One who has chosen to not progress to current technology instead utilising a lifetime of knowledge and experience. Within the impressionist movement the artists use bright colours as a constant throughout their work, capturing a scene through small details. Similarly in my work I will pull colours together throughout the shoots, from the red of the particular tractor brand the farmer uses, to smaller less noticeable elements. Highlighting the small parts of a bigger story. Using the contrast of the colours will highlight the harshness of the lifestyle it is brutal but equally one of the most fulfilling life’s you could live.