Braque: the Late Works - Royal Academy of Arts
Georges Braque was one of the greatest influences on the development of art in the twentieth century. Together with Picasso, he was the founding father of Cubism, an art form which moved away from imitating nature and rejected traditional perspective and conventional space.
Braque is particularly well known for his still-life arrangements and his exploration of space in and around objects. His aim was to bring all objects simultaneously into view and as close to the viewer as possible. This resulted in works in which space is folded and pleated, creating an entire new set of imaginary planes which play tricks on your eyes and on your perception of reality.
This exhibition concentrates on Braque’s later works. World War II deeply affected his paintings. They communicate an atmosphere of sadness and austerity. Skulls are scattered seemingly randomly throughout his compositions, underlining the atrocities the artist witnessed during both wars. The colours are dull and depressing, muted shades of black, brown, grey. His still-lifes become more and more complex. At times they are so cluttered with objects, I found it impossible to identify them. Musical instruments often appear, partly because they respond to touch which is what Braque was exploring in his paintings.
Like the Impressionists, Braque created three great series, the ‘Billiard Tables’, the ‘Studios’ and the ‘Bird’ theme. This is however the only point he has in common with his precursors.
His technique explores the texture of paint. He mixes ashes or sand in with the paint to add depth and radiance to his work dating from the liberation of Paris. This resulted in my personal favourite, the ‘Sunflowers’. In the ‘Bird’ series, paint is shovelled on in huge dollops to such an extent that the birds seem to disappear behind billowing clouds.
The exhibition is very well organised; the pictures are grouped according to period and the series are kept together, allowing you to follow the artist’s development. Braque’s desire to examine space comes across particularly well. A word of warning though: these are heavy-weight, serious art works which can easily overwhelm or depress you. So don’t go along if you are only looking for light distraction. But if you want to see an impressive record of the work of the true founder of modern art, then this exhibition is not to be missed.
Emma
