Dr. Lorenz
Research Paper
December 4th, 2015
Man with Pipe
The artist that created this painting was Jean Metzinger. Metzinger was born in Nates in 1883. He then settled in Paris in 1903, where he stayed for the remainder of his life later dying in 1956. The Painting by Jean Metzinger that I have chosen is “Man with Pipe.” This painting uses Cubism in a very unique way to better capture the viewer’s eyes. The painting is very sharp in color and uses many different colors all throughout the painting. There are many triangles and squares and even other unique shapes thrown all around. Some parts are very plain and white, while others are very vibrant reds and blues with flowers and designs. There are many brightly painted …show more content…
Metzinger was not just a French painter. He was also a critic, theorist, writer and poet, but always seem to have a passion for art. Although he came from a military family, following the early death of his father he pursued his own interests in mathematics, music and painting (Robbins). After selling three of his painting to a museum, he then used the proceeds to move to Paris. At the age of twenty he was considered a professional painter, and was living on his own with no other support from family or friends. At one point in his career Metzinger was known as the “prince” of Cubism after the reveal of the painting “Tea Time.” His pictures also reflect his interest in sports, especially bicycle racing and sailing, a motif used consistently by him as a metaphor for life (Robbins). There are many other paintings that Metzinger is known for, but most of his paintings were not dated. Numerous exhibitions document the painter's national and international success (“Jean”). It is hard to identify which of his paintings are most popular, but each one has its own unique story. He also proposed the idea of painting from more than one viewpoint. This is another reason his paintings made him more exceptional as an artist. Metzinger also moved from Cubism to other styles like Neo-Classicism and more naturalistic styles with a touch of surrealism throughout his life. Some of his earliest painting …show more content…
The fact that it is made up of many different shapes and sizes is a common theme for many other painters using cubism. This painting is also very abstract and the shapes are dispersed just as cubism paintings should be. Cubist portraits typically presented the sitter in half length, with few identifying attributes; however faceted or fragmented the forms, the likeness was preserved through replication of the sitter's distinctive features (“Search”). The painting that I selected was also a portrait with a sitter at half length. The geometric angles, lines, and shapes were also reasons why this painting is identified as cubism. Metzinger used many different ways of depicting and seeing real life objects. This painting is just another great example of Metzinger’s best work through