Georges Braque (1882-1963) was a 20th Century French artist who worked in many mediums. He worked in collage, printmaking and sculpting in addition to painting. He created the Cubism Movement from 1907 to 1914 with Pablo Picasso. Their relationship has been described as a friendship, a rivalry, a two-man excursion into the unknown. They shared a disregard for the rules of art and this seemed to fuel their joint abstraction. Braque is quoted as saying, “Art is made to disturb, science reassures.”

 
This piece is an example of Cubism’s imposition of geometric shapes over just about everything. It is nearly unrecognizable as a road and also beautiful in a soft palette of tints and shades. It has challenged the straightforward duplication of landscape and opened a challenging view of the world and our place in it for over 100 years.

 
In these days, as the world holds so much that is disturbing both in distant places and near, the works of Georges Braque might offer us a viewing place that holds chaos and suffering and beauty and legacy, prompting both disruption and somehow comfort.

We give thanks for the artists through the ages who have encouraged us to see beyond the accepted horizons of the world to the boundless truth of God’s creativity, love and grace. Maybe that is their most important gift right now. Thanks be to God.

In gratitude, faith and hope,