Georges Braque

Known as a founder of Cubism alongside Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque (1882-1963) is regarded as one of the most innovative French artists of the twentieth century. His early training was grounded in a practical trade working as a house painter by day while pursuing fine art studies in the evenings. After moving from Le Havre to Paris in his late teens, Braque attended the Académie Humbert, where he met fellow artist Marie Laurencin.

Braque’s early paintings reveal the influence of Impressionism, particularly in their vibrant colour and loose, sketch-like brushwork. By the early 1900s, however, he became increasingly interested in new artistic directions emerging in Paris. The bold colour and emotional intensity of the Fauves prompted a shift in his practice, encouraging a more expressive use of paint.

A pivotal moment came in 1907, when Braque encountered the work of Paul Cézanne at a retrospective exhibition. Cézanne’s approach to simplifying form and structuring composition had a profound impact, leading Braque to explore new ways of representing space. This resulted in a shift towards geometric forms and fragmented compositions ideas that would contribute to the development of Cubism. Central to this approach were two key principles: an interest in geometry and the representation of multiple viewpoints simultaneously within a single image.

Following the First World War, Braque’s work began to soften. While still informed by Cubist ideas, his paintings reintroduced more recognisable, figurative elements alongside structured compositions.

Painted during the Second World War, Still Life with Fish (1941) reflects this later phase of Braque’s practice. Created while living in occupied Paris, the work transforms a simple arrangement of fish and lemons into a patterned composition. Here, Braque flattens space and merges forms, creating a surface with texture, shape and visual rhythm, encouraging close and sustained looking.