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Henri HAYDEN

[1883-1970]

Henri HAYDEN

Nature morte a l'as de trefle vert et pieces d'echec

1919

oil on canvas
19 x 25 1/2"

Summary

Henri Hayden was born on December 24, 1883 in Warsaw, Poland. After studying at l’Ecole des-Beaux-Arts in Warsaw, he moved to Paris in 1907, and became a French national in 1924. From 1912-1914 his style was greatly influenced by Cezanne with his nervous lines, and tendency to stylize and deform. His repertoire of themes at this time remained vast—including landscapes, still
lifes, interior scenes, and portraits. During this period Hayden used a system of constructing space through colored planes, and furthermore, cut up his compositions in to small fragments, a precursor to his shift to Cubism.

Upon meeting Jacques Lipchitz, Juan Gris, and others in 1915, Hayden embraced Cubism fully. He adopted the Cubist techniques of uniformly applied flat tints, with the depths of objects and shadows discreetly articulated with small patches of heavily applied color, short brushstrokes, or even dots. His subject matter also became significantly reduced during this period, focusing on still lifes and figures, and incorporating the Cubist motifs of pipes, bottles, newspapers, guitars, pitchers, etc.

In 1920 Hayden exhibited his major work Les Trois Musiciens at the Salon des Independants, marking the culmination of his Cubist period.

Henri Hayden died in 1970 in Paris.