Cubism and Picasso

Reading assignment: The next reading is part one of chapter 7: pages 136 to 155 (stop at the section titled “Constructed Spaces: Cubist Sculpture”)

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This is the last weekly writing assignment for the semester: Since this week’s reading covers both Picasso’s early career and the birth of Cubism, there are a lot of different ideas and artistic developments that are presented. Because of that, I’m giving you an assignment that’s more open-ended than usual.

Pick the artwork from the reading that interests you the most and write the usual half-page to full-page piece. In your write-up, describe the piece and tell me why you chose it, and then give me a good general account of it based on the information in the book. Some things you could discuss include: what does the piece show (what’s the imagery in it)? Why was it made? What does it mean, and/or what story does it tell? Is it a groundbreaking or historically important work, and if so, why? Was there anything new or unusual about the materials or techniques used to make it? Some of these questions aren’t relevant to all of the artworks in the reading, so pick the ones that you think will allow you to provide the best overall description of the work you chose. Feel free to address things I haven’t asked about if they’re important to explaining the piece.