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.

  • Line

A line is a mark that spans a distance between two points. A line can be thick, thin, straight or curved. It can also change direction or overlap with other lines and be zigzagged and cross-hatched.

Form refers to the volume of a shape.

  • Form

This can be in a three-dimensional sense when we consider sculptures, but form can also relate to the illusion of a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional or flat surface.

  • Shape

A shape is formed when two points of a line meet, enclosing the space. Geometric shapes consist of squares, triangles, circles and cylinders.

Organic shapes are generally irregular and are found in nature and include things like plants and animals.

  • Space

Space is defined by the areas encompassed in, around and sometimes between works of art. Space can be dense, cluttered, open, symmetrical, shallow or flat.

In two-dimensional works of art, the main focal point usually occupies the positive space, while the space around the main object is the negative space. Negative space can be a great way to draw the viewers’ attention to a particular aspect of a composition. Artists sometimes use different colour values or one and two-point perspective to give an illusion of space or create an impression of depth.

  • Proportion and scale

Proportion and scale relate to the size of an object, element or figure. Scale relates to the size of an object or person compared with other objects or people in the same work of art. For example, when we paint a picture of a person outside their home, the person, if the picture was to scale, shouldn’t be bigger than the house.

Explore & Respond

  • ideas, practices, works and contexts for the arts in the lives of individuals and groups across cultures, times, places and communities 
  • the diversity of how, where and why people create, make, perform, present and respond across arts forms, and the roles that the arts play in lives, cultures and communities 
  • ways in which the arts communicate cultural and aesthetic knowledge, purpose, meaning and emotion  
  • ways in which the arts develop empathy and understanding of multiple perspectives, across personal, local, regional, national and global contexts. 

Developing practices and skills

  • creative skills for using and manipulating the elements, principles, conventions and/or processes of arts forms 
  • using available materials and technologies to develop and communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning 
  • critical skills in observing, reflecting, analysing, evaluating and/or documenting their own and others’ arts-making practices, using language and/or embodied practices. 

Creating and Making

  • individual and/or collaborative work using available resources/materials in diverse existing, emerging and innovative forms, styles and/or genres  
  • new work, which may be refined and realised, or may be presented as a work in progress  
  • interpretations of work created by others and interpretations of their own work as performers; interpreting involves informed observation, analysis, reflection and evaluation. 
  • What objects can you identify in the work of art, and why do you think Braque chose to include them?
  • Describe how the artist has used colour, form and pattern.
  • How has Braque arranged the objects? What effect does this composition have on the mood or feeling of the painting?
  • Look closely at the colours, shapes, and textures. How do these visual elements help create interest or meaning?
  • This painting was made during World War II. How might the historical context influence the message of the painting?
  • If you could step into this still life scene, what story might be taking place? What clues in the work of art support your ideas?

Your Still Life Collage

  • Find objects from your own kitchen and photograph your own domestic still life.
  • Make your own coloured papers by using watercolours, acrylic or texture rubbings. These will be used used to create your collage in response to Braque’s use of patterns and texture.
  • Set up a still life in the classroom. See our tips for setting up your Still life.
  • Draw your still life by experimenting with perspective. Consider what objects would look like if they were painted from many viewpoints at once.
  • Reduce the objects to simple geometric shapes and arbitrary (unrealistic) colours.

Still Life in Relief

Create a still life in relief by arranging objects at different heights on a board. Use cardboard scraps, or small wooden blocks to elevate and lower some objects in the composition.

This work was created during WWII factors such as the scarcity of food and experiences of trauma might be seen in the objects and colours Braque has used. Identify some of the objects, colours and symbols you can see. For each, explain what the artist might be trying to convey.

Reimagine this work from a new perspective and create a sketch using modern objects such as food, technology or toys. Write a short sentence for each to explain how it reflects our world today