Cubist

A Cubist is an artist or follower associated with Cubism, a pioneering modern art movement of the early 20th century. The term also describes artworks that exhibit the principles of Cubism. Cubism emerged in Paris around 1907–1914, initiated by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who sought to depict subjects from multiple viewpoints at once rather than from a single fixed perspective. This approach emphasized geometric fragmentation, interlocking planes, and a flattening of space, challenging conventional representation.

Analytic Cubism (roughly 1908–1912) deconstructed form into overlapping facets and a subdued, monochromatic palette, creating dense compositions that treated objects as a mass of planes. Synthetic Cubism (from about 1912) introduced collage elements, simpler shapes, and brighter colors, sometimes incorporating text and found materials to reconstitute imagery.

Influences included Cézanne’s emphasis on underlying geometric structure, as well as African and Iberian sculpture, which helped liberate form from naturalistic illusion. Cubism disrupted traditional perspective and helped redefine the relationship between seeing and representing. Its methods extended beyond painting to sculpture, collage, and design, and they influenced later movements such as Constructivism and Futurism.

Prominent Cubists include Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Juan Gris, with other significant contributors such as Albert Gleizes, Jean Metzinger, and Fernand Léger. As a major turning point in modern art, Cubism reshaped ideas about space, form, and the viewer’s role, and its impact continued to echo through European and American art into the mid-20th century.