Juan Gris - His Life and Work [antikvár]

PREFACEThe division of this book into three parts is not just the result of an arbitrary decision. Originally it was imposed on me by circumstances. For, owing to the vicissitudes of the exodus in 1940, I was temporarily cut off from my reference files and note-books and therefore began to write Part II, "The Work of Juan Gris", without their help and in the only form which was then possible. However, as the work progressed, I began to feel that a division which had originally been unavoidable was in fact not without advantages and would allow more spontaneity in Part I and the elaboration of a solid basis of theory in Part II. The reader must decide for himself whether he shares my view.Part III, which contains the collected writings of Juan Gris, needs no justification.For many years Louise Leiris has helped me to assemble the relevant documents and to organise my reference files. Michel Leiris has very kindly read my manuscript at various stages; his comments and criticism have been of great assistance to me. To both of them is due my deepest gratitude.PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITIONThe book that now appears in a new edition was written during the German occupation of France in the Second World War and was published soon afterwards. The question of corrections or additions has therefore naturally arisen. An American art historian exposed the major fault of the book when she called it a "catch-all". She was right: I had stowed into it everything I had to say at the time, for I was not sure that I should survive the war. I was in a hurry to set down all my thoughts.Nevertheless, I think it desirable that this work reappear without any changes. I take back nothing of what I have written. There is not much I can add. Perhaps I should say that, more than ever, I am convinced that the so-called geometrical aspect of early Cubism is not essential. It is, at least in part, a reaction against the linea serpentinata of Art Nouveau. One must bear in mind that this characteristic of the "Style 1900" is just as evident in Seurat and Signac as in the Nabis. The Cubists reacted against the softness of this line, but what counted infinitely more with them was the different way of thinking, the new aesthetics. Today, Cubism is less understood than ever before. It seems to me that the disastrous consequences are manifest.St. Hilaire, July i, 1968