A graceful, white rooster stands peacefully against a background of soothing, periwinkle blue. Braque utilizes simple, abstract lines to depict this bird, avoiding the use of excessive detail or colour.
In the background, the viewer witnesses another bird, perhaps the mate. Though lacking a distinct ground line, the viewer gets the impression that the smaller bird is standing in the distance.
Braque strategically composes the birds as if they are vertically stacked upon one another, so that the nearly 90 degree angles from their necks and backs mimic and therefore complement one another.
This technique brings harmony to the image, and also is a clever way of depicting distance and depth without using ground lines.
We do see tufts of grass in the very front of the image, which provides some environmental context for the lithograph. The birds are rendered in almost the exact same way, with long necks and thin legs with tail feathers. The background is composed of swirling lines of blue and white that blend together in such a way as to contribute a sense of texture to this exquisite lithograph.
Created in 1952, this original color lithograph was published by Verve as the frontispiece for "Mods and Movements in Art," Vol VII, No. 27-28.
Georges Braque was born in Paris in 1882. He was a major 20th-century painter, collagist, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. He was most well known for being the co-founder of Cubism alongside famous artist Pablo Picasso.
In addition to the invention of Cubism, he also focussed on other forms of art which were prominent at various time periods and produced works touching on Impressionism, Fauvism, and Collage. resulting in a body of work which brought together a series of imaginative pieces, bold colours, and distinct shapes and styles.
His style changed during the war years to represent the sombre, dark period the world was going through. In between wartime, he would also change his style and themes, to represent lighter times, and happier events which were taking place around him.
Although he did change his style, tone, colour use, and design features, he never strayed too far away from Cubism. There were also tinges or hints of this style, in every piece that he created during the course of his career, and it is this that makes his work so distinct, in comparison to other artists of the time, who did not explore so many different styles in their work.
He died in 1963 after a long and illustrious career and his influence on contemporary art pervades to this day.
Georges Braque was born in Paris in 1882. He was a major 20th-century painter, collagist, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. He was most well known for being the co-founder of Cubism alongside famous artist Pablo Picasso.
In addition to the invention of Cubism, he also focussed on other forms of art which were prominent at various time periods and produced works touching on Impressionism, Fauvism, and Collage. resulting in a body of work which brought together a series of imaginative pieces, bold colours, and distinct shapes and styles. His style changed during the war years to represent the sombre, dark period the world was going through. In between wartime, he would also change his style and themes, to represent lighter times, and happier events which were taking place around him.
Although he did change his style, tone, colour use, and design features, he never strayed too far away from Cubism. There were also tinges or hints of this style, in every piece that he created during the course of his career, and it is this that makes his work so distinct, in comparison to other artists of the time, who did not explore so many different styles in their work.
He died in 1963 after a long and illustrious career and his influence on contemporary art pervades to this day.
