Cubism

Cubism is a style of art that started in the early 1900s, characterized by drawings or paintings with geometric forms showing subjects from multiple angles. It usually lacks traditional depth of space, making the subject appear broken apart into fragments. Cubism created a major stylistic ripple in the history of art.

Picasso is widely recognized as the main pioneer of this movement, alongside Georges Braque. Some of the first paintings that defined the movement were Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) and Houses on the Hill (1909).

As famous as Les Demoiselles d'Avignon is today, it’s hard to believe that at the time it wasn’t widely accepted. It stood in stark contrast to the Impressionist paintings that dominated the art scene, and its radical approach definitely shifted the art world, becoming one of the foundational works of the modern art movement.

The style was heavily inspired by African art. Masks and sculptures from West and Central Africa often featured distorted forms and emphasized symbolism over realism. This geometric simplification became a key foundation of Cubism.

Cubism is generally divided into three periods: Proto-Cubism = experimenting with rough shapes; Analytical Cubism = breaking down reality into tiny planes with muted colors; and Synthetic Cubism = reconstructing forms, often using collage, brighter colors, and simplified shapes.

For me, I’ve always associated Cubism with the fracturing of the psyche—reflecting whatever was happening at the time. Whether it was war, natural disasters, or personal hardships, to me it evokes chaos… but in a compelling, beautiful way. I particularly love a painting I found from the early Cubist movement by the Russian artist Nadezhda Udaltsova.

Image Credits:

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. Used for educational purposes only. Source