Portrait of Josette Gris 1916

This is Juan Gris's fractured rendering of his wife, Josette, done in the Cubist style popular in the early 20th century. The formal innovations of Cubism, with its geometric forms and simultaneous perspectives, allowed artists to deconstruct traditional representation. Josette, like many women depicted in early modernist painting, is shown in a domestic setting, seated and holding what appears to be needlework. Yet, the fragmentation of her figure also speaks to a destabilization of traditional roles. Gris, as a Spanish artist working in Paris, was part of a community of artists grappling with new ways of seeing and representing the world. The Cubist style, while celebrated for its formal experimentation, also raises questions about identity and representation. What does it mean to see a person—especially a woman—broken down into abstract shapes? This pushes us to consider how identity is constructed and perceived, both within the artwork and in the broader social context.