Cubism: its Origins, its Aesthetic, and its Works
Abstract
Although this paper deals with Cubism proper of the years 1907 to 1914, there is equal emphasis on the preceding events, in which lie the Cubist origins, and on the following events, which represent the works which felt the direct influence of Cubism which waned in 1923. Instead of rediscussing the historical or chronological phases of the Cubist movement, this is an application of the written aesthetic theory behind Cubism to the works of the Cubist painters; interestingly, certain aesthetic statements have been made with which I can find no connection in the body of Cubist works. In applying the written theory to the painted works, it was necessary to sort out the Analytical and Synthetic works and to dlfferentiate between the theories which are claimed to exist for each phase. This work is heavily marked with quotations which reflect my reliance on original sources and documents, when possible, written in the words of the artists or the spokesmen themselves, (except for translation). It seemed very necessary to include quoted passages in this manner, although I have tried to be economical, despite several lengthy passages.