Brief Biography
Jean Metzinger is regarded as one of the founders of such art from as Cubism. He was born in 1883 to a wealthy family, and he obtained a good education (Apollinaire et al. 181). He graduated from Académie des Beaux-Arts and started his career as a painter in 1903. He displayed his works at numerous salons and exhibitions.
It is necessary to note that he became interested in modern art while he was still at the academy. He focused on Neo-Impressionist art in the 1910s. He became soon associated with the group of artists called Fauves. His works are characterized by bright colors and picturesque settings. Some of his most famous works of that period are Portrait of Guillaume Apollinaire (1910), Two Nudes in an Exotic Landscape (1905-1906), his self-portrait Portrait de M. Jean Metzinger (1906).
Metzinger and Cubism
In 1907, he became acquainted with the works by Paul Cezanne and got inspired by the new idea which later transformed into the art form called Cubism. Metzinger was fascinated by the idea of different dimensions and different retrospectives and regarded objects as multidimensional ways to convey the meaning (Apollinaire et al. 181). Notably, Metzinger created Cubist works which are considered to be the dawn of the art from.
ome of his famous Cubist works are Tea Time (1911), Dancer in a Café (1912) and The Blue Bird (1912-13). Importantly, the artists contributed to the development of the theory of Cubism as well. He wrote several theoretical essays where he outlined major principles of Cubism.
It is necessary to note that Jean Metzinger’s works have inspired loads of painters as they are full of color, shape, and meaning. The artist managed to convey his ideas by using simple shapes combined in a complex painting. He made such shapes as triangles, squares, circles, and lines form a complex image and idea.
Metzinger’s Impact
Metzinger also had an impact on me. I am inspired by his use of color and shape. His landscape is quite laconic but bright and is full of shape which conveys the idea of the beauty and perfection of nature (Fig.1.). The landscape reveals the idea of wonders of nature. I tried to convey this idea in my work. I speculated on the idea of wonders of nature and depicted a mermaid in a miraculous setting (Fig.2).
Fig. 1. Metzinger’s Landscape
In the first place, the artist uses rich colors, and he manages to stress the necessary points by using contrasting tinges (red and green, blue and yellow or orange). I also used bright colors, i.e., blue, orange, red, and yellow. Most importantly, Metzinger uses different shapes, i.e., triangular, rectangular, and circle shapes.
The artist uses sharp lines without implied lines, which is a characteristic feature of abstract art (Getlein 80). These perfect geometrical forms help convey the idea of perfection. I also used such perfect shapes. However, in my work, circles prevail as I depicted the ocean. I also used a lot of lines which stand for waves.
Notably, as far as Metzinger’s work is concerned, it is difficult to define the perspective used as it is a combination of atmospheric and isometric perspective. My work can also be characterized by atmospheric and isometric perspective. All in all, it is possible to state that Metzinger’s landscape makes viewers think about the wonderful world around them.
Fig. 2. My Work.
Works Cited
Apollinaire, Guillaume, Dorothea Eimert, and Anatoli Podoksik. Cubism. New York, NY: Parkstone International, 2010. Print.
Getlein, Mark. Living with Art. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Inc., 2010. Print.