Born in Argenteuil outside of Paris and raised in Le Havre, Braque was educated at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts du Havre, where he met Raoul Dufy and Othon Friesz, whom he later studied with in Paris. Having started painting in an Impressionist style, he was eventually drawn into the Fauvist circle which included Henri Matisse. Braque who could hardly be called a true Fauvist for his work, showed an early tendency towards ordered composition. … (read more)

Born in Argenteuil outside of Paris and raised in Le Havre, Braque was educated at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts du Havre, where he met Raoul Dufy and Othon Friesz, whom he later studied with in Paris. Having started painting in an Impressionist style, he was eventually drawn into the Fauvist circle which included Henri Matisse. Braque who could hardly be called a true Fauvist for his work, showed an early tendency towards ordered composition.

By 1908, having in the meantime met Apollinaire and Picasso, the break with the Fauvist school was clear and it was Braque's Maison à l' Estaque that Matisse described as "petits cubes" (little cubes). First used in mockery by the critic Vauxcelles in 1908, the name 'Cubism' was adopted by Braque and Picasso, who aimed to construct a new pictoral language independent of any imitation of the external world. Picasso and Braque worked closely together between 1909 and 1914 and Braque was particularly innovative in his use of other materials, such as newspapers and tobacco packets, to create collages, or "papiers collés."

After the 1st World War, in which he served and was injured, Braque's style evolved, inspired by past masters, such as Boudin and Jongkind for their use of light, and the classical art of antiquity and producing work such as the Théogonie etchings.During the 2nd World War, Braque stayed in Varengeville and continued to be a prolific artist in several media, including sculpture, stained glass and set, costume and jewelery design. His work has been exhibited in many major galleries, such as the Tate Gallery, London, and the Musée Nationale d'Art Moderne in Paris. He was awarded the Carnegie medal in 1939.

Courtesy of Wolman Prints, condensed and adapted

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