He also aimed to simplify compositional elements to rudimentary forms. Intrigued by the way we perceive the world around us, Cézanne was known to experiment with various perspectives in his work. Though he died before Picasso even painted Demoiselles, Paul Cézanne was nevertheless an influential figure in the advent of Cubism as his pioneering art served as an ideological link between the late nineteenth- and early twentieth century.

Famous Cubist ArtistsĬubism enjoyed the attention of numerous artists over the twentieth century, but here are a few of the most essential to know: Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) This novel collaging of elements allowed the artists of Synthetic Cubism to continue their study of form while also introducing the practice of bringing new materials into the realm of art. In this phase innovators like Picasso simplified forms while also adding new media in their work to quite literally build up the surface of their compositions. Synthetic Cubismīy 1912 this breaking down of form was increasingly complemented by building up the compositional surface, thereby marking the arrival of Synthetic Cubism. At the same time, many of these compositions relied upon muted, earthen-toned colors that allowed the focus to fall ultimately on form itself. In this early phase, this compositional deconstruction was followed by reassembly of these fractured elements into an array of intersecting and overlapping planes. Analytic CubismĪt the outset, Cubism emphasized the breaking down of form, which is why these early works earned the name of Analytic Cubism. The Cubism movement can be divided into two subcategories – Analytic Cubism and Synthetic Cubism – to better understand the style’s development over time. Despite this initial rejection, Demoiselles proved foundational to Cubism and set Picasso and his colleagues on a fascinating path of artistic innovation. Pablo Picasso, 1907, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, oil on canvas (image via Wikimedia Commons)ĭemoiselles was not exhibited until 1916 – years after Vauxcelles’ 1907 critique that gave Cubism its name – and, at that point, it was widely panned for its avant-garde aesthetic. There, Vauxcelles viewed new paintings by Georges Braque, like Trees at L’Estaque (1908), works that Vauxcelles described as depicting formal elements reduced to elemental “cubes.” Thanks to this critique, this exhibition was hailed by later experts as the first Cubist exhibition, but the ideas of Cubism actually took root earlier in the work of Pablo Picasso. The name of Cubism stuck after a critical review by Louis Vauxcelles of a 1908 exhibition at the Parisian Gallery of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler. Braque, Picasso and the Origins of Cubism What set Cubism apart, though, was the movement’s continued exploration that carried the conversation of art into the abstract realm. The Cubists, admittedly, were not the first group of artists to push back on tradition in many ways, the Cubists stood on the shoulders of the prior generations of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists by building on play with color, form, and brushstroke. It was derived in part in response against the tightly controlled styles of painting that had dominated studios for previous generations. The goal of Cubism was to question how we view the painterly surface and the illusions it can convey. Fracturing the formal elements of their compositions into planes or facets, Cubist artists then worked to reassemble these separate shards into multifaceted surfaces to experiment in combining multiple perspectives at once. What is Cubism?Ĭubism sought to explore new ways to depict space and form within a picture plane. In this article we’ll uncover the principles of Cubism, explore the artists who embodied them, and trace the threads of their influence into the work of other artists in an overarching look at the modern movement’s far-reaching influence. The fact that it arose during one of the most dynamic eras of art, though, can make it difficult to untangle the aims of Cubism and its influence. Cubism’s arrival in the early twentieth century forever changed the course of art by introducing a new mode for painterly abstraction.

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