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130. The Portuguese, Georges Braque

 

 1911

The Portuguese
Georges Braque. 1911 C.E. France. Oil on canvas

In this canvas, everything was fractured. The guitar player and the dock was just so many pieces of broken form, almost broken glass. By breaking these objects into smaller elements, Braque was able to overcome the unified singularity of an object and instead transform it into an object of vision.
 Form: Oil on Canvas

 Function
  • to show all sides of a subject

 Content:
  • neither naturalistic nor conventional
  • fractured forms
  • clear edged surfaces on the picture plane—not recessed in space
  • nearly monochrome
  • not a portrait of a portuguese musician, but rather an exploration of shapes
  • only realistic elements are stenciled letters and numbers

 Context:
  • Analytical Cubism (1907-1912)
    • first phase of cubism
    • highly experimental, jagged edges, sharp and multifaceted lines
    • Worked with Picasso to develop this style
    • "By breaking these objects into smaller elements, Braque and Picasso are able to overcome the unified singularity of an object and instead transform it into an object of vision" (Khan Academy - Analytical Cubism)
Cross Cultural Comparison

Left: Pablo Picasso, Ma Jolie, 1911–12, oil on canvas, 39 3/8 x 25 3/4 inches (MoMA); Right: Georges Braque, The Portuguese, 1911–12, oil on canvas, 46 x 32 inches (Kunstmuseum, Basel, Switzerland)
Left: Pablo Picasso, Ma Jolie, 1911–12, oil on canvas, 39 3/8 x 25 3/4 inches (MoMA); Right: Georges Braque, The Portuguese, 1911–12, oil on canvas, 46 x 32 inches (Kunstmuseum, Basel, Switzerland)
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