According to georgesbasque.org, Georges Braque is a painter from the 20th century who co-founded cubism alongside Pablo Picasso. As defined by Merrian Webster, cubism is an art style focused on abstract structures usually by showing different perspectives of one object at the same time or fragments of an object.
I chose “The Violin” which is meant to recreate an engraved metal nameplate. These nameplates were usually used to name the brands in advertisements. He used this more common type of nameplate as a way to defy the hierarchy between artists who can afford more expensive materials and those who cannot. The parts with wood particles, sawdust, and raised paint are theorized to be pieces stuck together like a collage.
This piece displays cubist ideals by showing the different parts of a violin just in a perspective that we don’t typically see. When I think of an artwork of a violin, I imagine the painter painting a violin when it is fully built. In contrast, this artwork shows the pieces of a violin rather than a completed violin. It is still a violin, but it’s just a different perspective of a violin by showing different pieces simultaneously.
I was looking for the modernist portion of the museum when I saw the special cubism exhibit at the metropolitan museum and had no idea that this was actually modernism. I just wanted to look at a bunch of pretty cubes. I kept wandering around when I realized that the pieces were actually going to help me with my assignment. The only drawback of this experience was a security guard kept looking at me while I was looking at the piece.
What drew me to this piece was the sawdust. It was a texture that I don’t associate with paintings so to see it took me by surprise. I read the description and loved the piece even more since we read about how elitist the writers of modernism can be, but seeing a painter going directly against that elitism made me excited. I was glad that not all of the paintings here were elitist since I was the only person of color throughout most of the exhibit and I felt as if I wasn’t meant to understand or see these paintings. I felt as if this was a space that I didn’t belong in, but this artwork gave me some kind of comfort. There are paintings of artists who didn’t look down on the common people. It was a sign of affirmation that I do belong in this space just like all those other well-off white people. Maybe the artist didn’t envision people with my skin color appreciating his piece, but the sentiment still comforts me.
Denise – I love so many things about this…. First, the idea that you were attracted to what you thought was going to be pictures of CUBES…. Then your lovely insights about what Braque was doing in this work – especially the part about the sawdust. You’re right that sawdust seems like a kind of “lowly” or “humble” material. It also reminds us that, however fancy and elevated the violin is as a finished instrument, it is made of wood. And finally, I really appreciate your observations about how it felt to be at the museum. The reason that the Met is free (or pay as you wish) for NYC residents is because this is our museum, and ideally, all visitors would feel that sense of welcome and “ownership”. Your comments make it clear that there is still work to be done. Thanks.