The artwork “Glass, Carafe and Newspapers” by Georges Braque was crafted in 1914 and serves as an exemplary piece within the Synthetic Cubism movement. The composition, made using an amalgamation of materials such as chalk, charcoal, collage, and oil on canvas, embodies the still life genre. Spanning 62.5 x 28 cm, this artwork is part of a private collection and was created in France.
The artwork brings together disassembled and rearranged segments to evoke the impression of a tabletop scattered with objects related to everyday life, such as a glass, carafe, and fragments of newspapers. Braque’s use of charcoal and chalk lines outline the forms, while the collage elements, incorporating actual pieces of paper, add textual and visual depth, exemplifying the synthetic approach of combining real-world elements with painted surface. The distinctive features of Synthetic Cubism, namely the simplified shapes, muted colours, and the interplay of texture are present, illustrating Braque’s continued innovation in breaking down and reassembling forms to capture the complexity of perception.
