Cubism

What if you could see the front, side and back of something all at once? Cubism tried to show just that.

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A revolution in painting

Cubism was developed in Paris from about 1907 to 1914 by Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881 to 1973) and Georges Braque (French, 1882 to 1963).
They were inspired by Paul CĂ©zanne's geometric forms, and Picasso was also influenced by African and ancient Iberian sculpture he saw in Paris.
Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), with its broken, angular figures, is often seen as the starting point.
A critic described Braque's landscapes as made of 'little cubes', which gave the movement its name.

What Cubist art is like

Cubists rejected the single viewpoint of perspective. They showed objects from several viewpoints at once.
They broke objects into geometric shapes and flat, overlapping planes (fragmentation).
Analytic Cubism (about 1909 to 1912): objects broken into many small facets, in muted browns, greys and greens.
Synthetic Cubism (about 1912 to 1914): simpler, bolder shapes, brighter colours, and collage with real materials such as newspaper and wallpaper.
Other Cubists included Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887 to 1927).

Guernica

In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the town of Guernica was bombed. Picasso responded with a huge painting, Guernica.
It uses only black, white and grey, and broken, Cubist-style figures of people and animals in pain, to show the horror of war.
It is now in the Museo Reina SofĂ­a in Madrid. It shows how art can carry a powerful political message.
Worked example

A student draws a guitar showing its front, its side and the curve of its back at the same time, using angular shapes. Which movement is this inspired by, and why?

  1. Showing several viewpoints at once is a key Cubist idea.
  2. Breaking the object into angular, geometric shapes is also Cubist.
  3. So the drawing is inspired by Cubism (Picasso and Braque).

Answer: Cubism, because it shows several viewpoints at once and breaks the object into geometric shapes.

Key idea

Cubism (about 1907 to 1914) was developed by Picasso and Braque in Paris. It shows objects from several viewpoints at once, broken into geometric shapes. Analytic Cubism was muted and fragmented; Synthetic Cubism was bolder and used collage. Picasso painted Guernica in 1937.

Key words
Cubism
A movement begun by Picasso and Braque around 1907 that showed objects from several viewpoints at once, using geometric shapes.
Geometric shapes
Regular, mathematical shapes such as circles, squares and triangles.
Collage
Art made by sticking paper, photos, fabric or other materials on to a surface. From the French coller, to glue.

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Extra practice

2 more questions

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  1. In which city did Cubism develop?

    1. Florence
    2. New York
    3. Paris
    4. Tokyo
    Show the answer

    Answer: Paris

    Picasso and Braque worked in Paris.

  2. A Cubist portrait shows a face from the front and the side at once. Why?

    1. Cubists showed several viewpoints at the same time
    2. The artist made a mistake
    3. To paint dreams
    4. To copy adverts
    Show the answer

    Answer: Cubists showed several viewpoints at the same time

    Multiple viewpoints are key to Cubism.

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Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

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