Analytical and Synthetic Cubism

Cubism is an Art movement which began in the early twentieth century, the idea behind it was to provide a new way of representing the world. The main artist's known for their cubist artwork are: Pablo Picasso,  Georges Braque and Juan Gris. The Cubist movement was separated into two phases, the Analytical and the synthetic.
The Analytical stage was the first of the two phases. Which was approximately between 1908-12. The main characteristics of this phase were the use of fragmented shapes, used to provide multiple view points of an item or person. The object was broken down viewpoint by viewpoint to create a broken down shape. This was accompanied by the use of overlapping within the image, through other objects or a figure in front of another.  Another feature of the Analytical phase was the use of a simple colour palette. This purpose this was to create an easier overall view of the painting.  By using a wider range of colours, the focus would not be directed on the main image. Some of the well-known paintings included:

                         Georges Braque,
                    Glass on table 1909-10,
                             oil on canvas.

                         Georges Braque,
                       Mandora 1909-10,
                           oil on canvas

                            Pablo Picasso,
                        Seated Nude 1909-10,
                            oil on canvas.

These works clearly demonstrate a neutral palette with a good structure to create the ideal viewpoint.

The second phase of the Cubism movement was called the Synthetic,  this began later on, around 1912-14. The main difference between the Analytical and synthetic,  was the synthetic phase was more focused on a wider colour range including brighter colours, as well as the use of simpler shapes. The synthetic stage came about when the Artists began using textures and sometimes collage, using patterned paper or even newspaper.  The main idea in this phase was, by taking an object and flattening the shape, it didn't have any signs of a 3 dimensional object. Good examples include:

                           Pablo Picasso,
            Bottle of vieux Marc, glass,  guitar                           and newspaper 1913,
             printed paper and ink on paper

                            Pablo Picasso,
                        Bowl of fruit,  violin
                          and bottle 1914,
                            oil on canvas.

                               Juan Gris,
                       The sunblind 1914,
                  Gouache,  collage,  chalk
                  and charcoal on canvas.

                                Juan Gris,
      Bottle of Rum and Newspaper 1913-14.
                           Oil on canvas

When comparing the Artwork from the Analytical phase against the Synthetic phase there is a variety of differences.  Although Picasso used many shades of blues while Braque used a palette of mostly browns and beige in the Analytical phase. It is clear to see there is a smoothness to the paintings,  even though the shapes are angular.  From the Synthetic phase,  mixed media has been used to give a sense of shape in a 2 dimensional form.
Personally,  I prefer the Analytical phase as I like the use of tone and line to create shapes and objects.  I also like the variety of colour used from such a simple palette.