Gris, Juan (hwän grēs), 1887–1927, Spanish cubist painter, whose original name was José Victoriano González. After studying in Madrid he settled in Paris in 1906, where he held his first exhibition at the Salon des Indépendents of 1912. Gris played an important role in the development of synthetic cubism cubism, art movement, primarily in painting, originating in Paris c.1907.

Cubist Theory

Cubism began as an intellectual revolt against the artistic expression of previous eras.
..... Click the link for more information. . His paintings are composed of simple forms; at first they reflected an architectonic logic of design, but later they were given a more sumptuous, decorative treatment. The majority of his works are still-life oils and collages. Gris also painted several portraits. The Museum of Modern Art, New York City, has several still lifes.

Bibliography

See his letters (ed. and tr. by D. Cooper, 1956); catalog by J. T. Soby (1958); D. H. Kahnweiler, Juan Gris: His Life and Work (rev. ed. 1969); M. Rosenthal, Juan Gris (1983).

Gris, Juan

orig. José Victoriano González Pérez

(born March 23, 1887, Madrid, Spain—died May 11, 1927, Boulogne-sur-Seine, Fr.) Spanish painter active in Paris. He studied engineering at the Madrid School of Arts and Manufactures (1902–04). In 1906 he moved to Paris and began producing drawings in the Art Nouveau style for newspapers. He became involved with the Cubist artists, notably Pablo Picasso, and soon developed his own version of Synthetic Cubism, a style more severe and calculated than that of other Cubists. His works, typically still lifes, are characterized by rigorously geometric compositions. His technique included the use of paper collage. He also produced sculpture, book illustrations, and sets and costumes for Sergey Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.