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Cubism

arts Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Cubism is a famous art movement from the early 1900s.

Pablo Picasso, 1910, Girl with a Mandolin (Fanny Tellier), oil on canvas, 100.3 x 73.6 cm, Museum of Modern Art New York.
Pablo Picasso, 1910, Girl with a Mandolin (Fanny Tellier), oil on canvas, 100.3 x 73.6 cm, Museum of Modern Art New York.

It began in Paris and changed how people see art. This style did not just stay in paintings. It also changed music, ballet, books, and buildings. Many people believe it was the most important art movement of the 20th century. It helped artists find new ways to show the world around them.

Most artists paint a subject from just one view. Cubist artists do something much more complex. They analyze a subject and break it into many pieces. Then, they put those pieces back together in an abstract way.

Pablo Picasso, 1909-10, Figure dans un Fauteuil (Seated Nude, Femme nue assise), oil on canvas, 92.1 x 73 cm, Tate Modern, London
Pablo Picasso, 1909-10, Figure dans un Fauteuil (Seated Nude, Femme nue assise), oil on canvas, 92.1 x 73 cm, Tate Modern, London

Instead of one view, they use multiple perspectives. This means they show many sides of an object at the same time. This technique helps show the subject in a larger context.

This new way of making art started with a few key people. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque worked together to lead the movement.

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon

They were inspired by the painter Paul Cézanne. Cézanne showed how to use shapes to show 3D forms. In 1907, Picasso made a painting called Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. Many people see this as a major step toward Cubism. Other artists like Juan Gris and Fernand Léger soon joined them.

Historians divide Cubism into different stages or phases. The first phase is called Analytic Cubism.

Albert Gleizes, l'Homme au Balcon, 1912, oil on canvas, 195.6 x 114.9 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Albert Gleizes, l'Homme au Balcon, 1912, oil on canvas, 195.6 x 114.9 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art

This phase happened between 1910 and 1912. The second phase is called Synthetic Cubism. This lasted from about 1912 to 1914. Synthetic Cubism used brighter colors and simpler shapes. Artists even used newspaper and patterned paper to make art. This helped start collage, which is a modern way to make art.

Diego Rivera, 1914, Portrait de Messieurs Kawashima et Foujita, oil and collage on canvas, 78.5 x 74 cm, private collection
Diego Rivera, 1914, Portrait de Messieurs Kawashima et Foujita, oil and collage on canvas, 78.5 x 74 cm, private collection

Cubism had a huge impact on many other art styles. It helped create movements like Futurism and Dada.

Robert Delaunay, 1912, Les Fenêtres simultanée sur la ville (Simultaneous Windows on the City), 40 x 46 cm, Kunsthalle Hamburg
Robert Delaunay, 1912, Les Fenêtres simultanée sur la ville (Simultaneous Windows on the City), 40 x 46 cm, Kunsthalle Hamburg

Some groups, like the Section d'Or, grew from these ideas. Even architecture was influenced by these new shapes. Cubism showed how to use geometric forms to represent modern life. It taught the world that art does not have to look like a photo to be real.

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🖼️ Images & Media (22)
File:Pablo Picasso, 1910, Girl with a Mandolin (Fanny Tellier), oil on canvas, 100.3 x 73.6 cm, Museum of Modern Art New York..jpg
Pablo Picasso, 1910, Girl with a Mandolin...
File:Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.jpg
Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.jpg
File:Pablo Picasso, 1909-10, Figure dans un Fauteuil (Seated Nude, Femme nue assise), oil on canvas, 92.1 x 73 cm, Tate Modern, London.jpg
Pablo Picasso, 1909-10, Figure dans un...
File:Diego Rivera, 1914, Portrait de Messieurs Kawashima et Foujita, oil and collage on canvas, 78.5 x 74 cm, private collection.jpg
Diego Rivera, 1914, Portrait de Messieurs...
File:Albert Gleizes, l'Homme au Balcon, 1912, oil on canvas, 195.6 x 114.9 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art.jpg
Albert Gleizes, l'Homme au Balcon, 1912,...
File:The "Cubists" Dominate Paris' Fall Salon, The New York Times, October 8, 1911.jpg
The "Cubists" Dominate Paris' Fall Salon,...
File:Robert Delaunay, 1912, Les Fenêtres simultanée sur la ville (Simultaneous Windows on the City), 40 x 46 cm, Kunsthalle Hamburg.jpg
Robert Delaunay, 1912, Les Fenêtres...
File:Salon d'Automne 1912, Paris, works exhibited by Kupka, Modigliani, Csaky, Picabia, Metzinger, Le Fauconnier.jpg
Salon d'Automne 1912, Paris, works...
File:La Carrière de Bibémus, par Paul Cézanne, Yorck.jpg
La Carrière de Bibémus, par Paul Cézanne,...
File:Jean Metzinger, 1911-12, La Femme au Cheval - The Rider.jpg
Jean Metzinger, 1911-12, La Femme au...
File:Jean Metzinger, 1915, Soldat jouant aux échecs (Soldier at a Game of Chess), oil on canvas, 81.3 x 61 cm, Smart Museum of Art.jpg
Jean Metzinger, 1915, Soldat jouant aux...
File:Picasso three musicians moma 2006.jpg
Picasso three musicians moma 2006.jpg

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