Remembering a Veteran: Georges Braque: Artist and Soldier

  

Man with a Guitar, 1914
One of Braque's Last Works Before His Induction

Considered to be the co-founder of Cubism, Georges Braque (1882–1963) worked arm-in-arm with Pablo Picasso in developing that revolutionary rejection of the sensual for the analytical in art. However, when war broke out, Braque enlisted in the French Army and served as an infantryman in the 53rd Division. (Picasso, being a neutral Spaniard, was not required to serve.) 

Braque Required Two Years to Recover from His Wound 

Braque received a severe head wound fighting in Artois near Vimy Ridge in 1915 (see photo) and, after a long recuperation, was discharged in late 1916. His only regret about his war service was apparently over his inability to paint during his recovery. He was, though, enormously productive for the rest of his life. Interestingly, Braque seemed to move away from Cubism, the very technique he helped pioneer, in his later work.