Today is the birthday of Spanish artist Jose Victoriano (Carmelo Carlos) Gonzalez-Perez (known as Juan Gris). He was born in Madrid 1887-1927) but his career was based in France where he mostly lived. His work is mostly associated with the Cubist movement, but he started out as a sartorial cartoonist before developing his own distinctive Cubist style.
Gris’s contemporaries were Matisse, Picasso and Braque, amongst other famous artists. He approached cubism in a style he called Analytical Cubism, but become converted to Synthetic Cubism in which he incorporated collage.
He painted in bright colours, unlike Braque and Picasso whose work at that time was mostly monochromatic. In her book The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas Gertrude Stein wrote ‘Although Gris regarded Picasso as a teacher , Juan Gris was the only artist who Picasso wished away’. Gris is an interesting artist. More can be found about his life and work here-
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