Skip to main content

Cubism

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 2652 Accesses

Part of the book series: Contributions To Phenomenology ((CTPH,volume 59))

Abstract

It is one of the paradoxes in the history of ideas that cubism, which so greatly inspired philosophical approaches among the twentieth century avant-garde, was characterized by its representatives as an atheoretical or even antitheoretical movement. Pablo Picasso himself was aware that cubism had been explained through mathematics, trigonometry, chemistry, psychoanalysis, music, and who knows what else. All this was to him nothing but literature or nonsense, which resulted in blinding people with theories (interview with Marius de Zayas, 26 May 26, 1923, in Fry 1966: 168). What is the use of saying what we do—this is Picasso’s position—if anybody can see it? Georges Braque maintained that the only thing that matters in art is that which you cannot explain. And Juan Gris was no less lapidary

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Bayerová, Marie and Tomáš Vlček. “Kubismus und Philosophie—Parallelen und Affinitäten.” In 1909–1926 Kubismus in Prag. Malerei, Skulptur, Kunstgewerbe, Architektur. Ed. Jiri Svestka and Tomáš Vlček. Stuttgart: Gerd Hatje, 1991, 44–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biemel, Walter. “Zur Deutung der Polyperspektivität bei Picasso.” In Philosophisches Jahrbuch der Goerresgesellschaft 74, 1966, 154–168; rpt. as “Zu Picasso—Versuch einer Deutung der Polyperspektivität.” In his Philosophische Analysen zur Kunst der Gegenwart. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1968, 236–263; rpt. in his Gesammelte Schriften, Vol. 2. Schriften zur Kunst. Stuttgart: Frommann-Holzboog, 1996, 29–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burger, Fritz. Cézanne und Hodler. Einführung in die Probleme der Malerei der Gegenwart. 2 vols. Munich: Delphin, 1913.

    Google Scholar 

  • Escoubas, Elaine. “L’épokhē picturale: Braque et Picasso.” In La Part de L’Oeil 7 (Art et phénoménologie, ed. Eliane Escoubas, 1991), 189–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fellman, Ferdinand. Phänomenologie und Expressionismus. Freiburg: Karl Alber, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fortunescu, Irina, ed. Braque: Anthology of Texts. London: Abbey Library, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fry, Edward F., ed. Cubism. New York: Harper & Co., 1966.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gadamer, Hans-Georg. “Begriffene Malerei?” In his Kleine Schriften II. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1967, 218–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gehlen, Arnold. Zeit-Bilder. Zur Soziologie und Ästhetik der modernen Malerei [1960]. Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gleizes, Albert, and Jean Metzinger. Du cubisme, Paris: Figuière, 1912; Cubism. Trans. London: T. F. Unwin, 1913.

    Google Scholar 

  • Habasque, Guy. “Cubisme et Phénoménologie.” In Revue d’Esthétique 2, 1949, 151–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, Michel. Voir l’invisible: Sur Kandinsky. Paris: François Bourin, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  • Husserl, Edmund. Die Idee der Phänomenologie. Fünf Vorlesungen [1907]. Ed. Walter Biemel. Husserliana 2. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1950; The Idea of Phenomenology. Trans. Lee Hardy. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  • Husserl, Edmund. “Philosophie als strenge Wissenschaft” [1911]. In Aufsätze und Vorträge (1911–1921). Ed. Thomas Nenon and Hans Rainer Sepp. Husserliana 25. Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff, 1987, 3–62; “Philosophy as Rigorous Science.” In his Phenomenology and the Crisis of Philosophy. Trans. Quentin Laurer. New York: Harper & Row, 1965, 71–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Husserl, Edmund. Ideen zu einer reinen Phänomenologie und phänomenologischen Philosophie. Erstes Buch. Allgemeine Einführung in die reine Phänomenologie [1913]. Ed. Karl Schuhmann. Husserliana 3/1. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1976; Ideas Pertaining to a Pure Phenomenology and to a Phenomenological Philosophy. First Book. General Introduction to a Pure Phenomenology. Trans. Fred Kersten. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahnweiler, Daniel-Henry. Der Weg zum Kubismus [1920]. Stuttgart: Gerd Hatie, 1958.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahnweiler, Daniel-Henry. Juan Gris: Sa vie, son œuvre, ses écrits. Paris: Gallimard, 1946; Juan Gris: His Life and Work. Trans. D. Cooper. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein, Robert. “Peinture moderne et phénoménologie” [1963]. In La forme et l’intelligible. Paris: Gallimard, 1970, 411–429; “Modern Painting and Phenomenology”. In Form and Meaning. Trans. M. Jay and L. Wieseltier. New York: Viking Press, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patočka, Jan. [Review of Biemel 1966]. In Texte Dokumente Bibliographie. Ed. Ludger Hagedorn and Hans Rainer Sepp. Freiburg: Karl Alber, 1999, 441–448.

    Google Scholar 

  • Picasso, Pablo. Collected Writings. Ed. Marie-Louise Bernalac and Charles Piot. Trans. C. Volk and A. Besoussan. New York: Abbeville Press, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinotti, Andrea, ed. Pittura e idea: Ricerche fenomenologiche sul cubismo. Florence: Alinea, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piwocki, Ksawery. “Husserl and Picasso” [1962]. In Aesthetics in Twentieth-Century Poland. Ed. Jean G. Harrel and Alina Wierzbianska. Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press, 1973, 143–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sepp, Hans Rainer. “Der Kubismus als phänomenologisches Problem.” In Facetten der Wahrheit. Festschrift für Meinolf Wewel. Ed. Ernesto Garzón Valdés and Ruth Zimmerling. Freiburg: Karl Alber, 1995, 295–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sepp, Hans Rainer. “Annäherungen an die Wirklichkeit. Phänomenologie und Malerei nach 1900.” In Edmund Husserl und die phänomenologische Bewegung. Zeugnisse in Text und Bild. Ed. Hans Rainer Sepp. Freiburg: Karl Alber: 1988, 77–93.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Pinotti, A. (2009). Cubism. In: Sepp, H., Embree, L. (eds) Handbook of Phenomenological Aesthetics. Contributions To Phenomenology, vol 59. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2471-8_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics