Georges Braque

Georges Braque, born in Argenteuil, France, in 1882, was a pivotal figure in the development of modern art. Initially trained in the family business of painting and decorating, Braque soon immersed himself in the evolving avant-garde movements of the early 20th century. His initial works were influenced by Impressionism, but by 1905 he had established a position within the Fauvist movement. Known for its bold use of colour, Fauvism was a short-lived but significant phase in Braque’s career, one that he soon rejected for its reliance on colour in favour of a more structured approach to form and composition.

In 1907, Braque began to collaborate with Pablo Picasso, and together they co-founded Cubism, one of the most revolutionary movements in the history of Western art. Cubism was a radical departure from traditional representation, eschewing the linear perspective and illusionistic space that had dominated European painting since the Renaissance. Instead, Braque and Picasso fragmented objects into geometric shapes and presented them from multiple viewpoints simultaneously, challenging the viewer’s perception of space, form, and reality.

Braque’s contribution to Cubism extended beyond the theoretical framework established by Picasso. His use of collage and papier collé, where everyday materials such as newspaper clippings and textured papers were incorporated into the painting, further expanded the vocabulary of Cubist experimentation.

In his later years, Braque moved away from the strict formalism of early Cubism, exploring abstraction and texture through subdued palettes and intricate surface treatments. Despite this evolution, the essential principles of Cubism—particularly the exploration of space and the disintegration of form—remained a consistent thread in Braque's oeuvre. His work remains foundational to the development of modernist painting, with lasting influence on successive generations of artists.