Braque, << brahk, >> Georges (1882-1963), was a French artist. In the early 1900’s, Braque and Pablo Picasso led the development of cubism, a painting style that had a major influence on later art. Braque and other cubist artists tried to portray the basic geometric forms of subjects. The subjects in many cubist paintings are almost unrecognizable. Braque’s Man with a Guitar, is an excellent example.
Braque was an early creator of collages. He glued bits of cloth, newspaper, and other materials to paintings to enrich the design (see Collage ). He also used a painting technique that imitated surface textures such as marble and the grain of wood. Braque painted pictures with elements of the cubist style his entire life. For example, from 1949 to 1956, he painted eight large pictures of studio interiors that show his ability to arrange objects in delicate relationships in space.
Braque was born on May 13, 1882, in Argenteuil and studied in Le Havre. His early pictures reflect the style of the French artist Paul Cezanne. Braque was also influenced by the sharply chiseled geometric features of black African sculpture. He died on Aug. 31, 1963.
