Cubist (立体派艺术) paintings have many straight lines and angular (有角的) planes. They sometimes present several different views of an object at the same time. Brooklyn Bridge by Joseph Stella (American, 1879—1946) is a cubist picture of the great cable suspension bridge at night. The bridge, large and important, fills entire painting. Spots of light which shine on the various structures of the bridge suggest the headlights of cars speeding along.
Despite the lights, we do not see any activity in the picture. There are no cars or trains, and there are no human forms. Stella is mainly interested in the structure of the bridge. He presents the mystery of the bridge—how it extends through space from shore to shore, how it rises into the sky and does not fall. The picture is well-proportioned. In the upper middle section of the painting we see the main suspension tower of the bridge with its three rows of arches(拱形). It looks like a church. The road beneath the tower stretches into the distance and disappears behind the tower to connect with the other shore.
In the bottom center there is a prism(棱柱) -like shape which looks like a large diamond. Perhaps it represents the drill which the builders used when they put in the supports for the bridge.
To the right of the prism shape there is a row of semicircular arches which retreat into the distance. These arches suggest tunnels beneath the river for subways. Immediately above the tunnel arches, there are straight lines which join together in the distance. These lines suggest roads over the bridge for cars, people, and trains. At the same time, there is another set of joining lines on the left which suggest other roads across the bridge.
Stella painted Brooklyn Bridge at the beginning of the "machine age" In the work he shows his appreciation of the technology and engineering skills of his time. For the bridge is a symbol of new age.
What are the main features of the cubist paintings
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