CUBISM• Cubism was a truly revolutionary style of

modern art developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braques.

• It was the first style of abstract art which evolved at the beginning of the 20th century in response to a world that was changing with unprecedented speed.

• Cubism was an attempt by artists to revitalize the tired traditions of Western art which they believed had run their course.

• The Cubists challenged conventional forms of representation, such as perspective, which had been the rule since the Renaissance

• Their aim was to develop a new way of seeing which reflected the modern age.

• The problem for artists at this time was how to reflect the modernity of the era using the tired and trusted traditions that had served art for the last four centuries. Photography had begun to replace painting as the tool for documenting the age and for artists to sit illustrating cars, planes and images of the new technologies was not exactly rising to the challenge.

• Artists needed a more radical approach - a 'new way of seeing' that expanded the possibilities of art in the same way that technology was extending the boundaries of communication and travel.

• This new way of seeing was called Cubism - the first abstract style of modern art.

• Picasso and Braque developed their ideas on Cubism around 1907 in Paris and their starting point was a common interest in the later paintings of Paul Cezanne.

When you look at an object your eye scans it, stopping to register on a certain detail before moving on to the next point of interest and so on. You can also change your viewpoint in relation to the object allowing you to look at it from above, below or from the side.Therefore, the Cubists proposed that your sight of an object is the sum of many different views and your memory of an object is not constructed from one angle, as in perspective, but from many angles selected by your sight and movement.Cubist painting, paradoxically abstract in form, was an attempt at a more realistic way of seeing.

Objectives: Students will:

* Gain an understanding and awareness for the cubist style of artists such as Picasso, Braque, and Gris.* Create a multi-media composition showing multiple views of various objects -- fracturing the planes in the manner of the cubists* Create a composition with a variety of textures - developing interest through contrast and added collage elements.Develop skills in shading using both white and black to show values.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bTuoeqTk50

You may want to spend some time practicing by doing some graphite drawings of some of these forms.

• Begin with a few straight lines on the newsprint, some vertical, some horizontal and some diagonal (about five to start).

• When you start to draw the contours of objects, start at the top and move down the page. When you get to the lines, shift over and continue to draw the object. Add more lines from parts of the objects that you have started. Make at least three studies differing the object used and new lines.

• Pick out the best design and transfer it to paper or cardboard. This will be the color of the picture.

• Outline the design with a narrow black pen or black paint.

• Plan out a value pattern using a black felt tip pen or black paint.

• Select at least three areas to collage newspapers or sheet music and use a spray adhesive to glue them down.

• Use paint to produce a faux wood grain by painting lines, blending with a moistened brush and putting a tone across the area for a light value.

• Lastly use white and black pastels and charcoal to draw into shapes and graphite pencils to make gradations where you like.

Assessment Rubric:

Student Name: Class Period:

Assignment: Fractured Reality - Cubism Still Life Date Completed:

Circle the number in pencil that

best shows how well you feel

that you completed that criterion

for the assignment.

Excellent Good Average Needs

Improvement Rate Yourself

Teacher’s

Rating

Criteria 1 – shows multiple views

of objects - fractured spaces 10 9 – 8 7 6 or less

Criteria 2 – used a variety of

textures - both simulated and

collage

10 9 – 8 7 6 or less

Criteria 3 – shows strong value

contrasts 10 9 – 8 7 6 or less

Criteria 4 – Effort: took time to

develop idea & complete

project? (Didn’t rush.) Good use

of class time?

10 9 – 8 7 6 or less

Criteria 5 – Craftsmanship –

Neat, clean & complete? Skillful

use of the art tools & media?

10 9 – 8 7 6 or less

Total: 50

x 2 = 100

(possible

points)

Grade: Your Total Teacher Total