A French school of art most prominent between 1907 and 1914. Originated by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, it abandoned single-point perspective and instead subjects were presented from various viewpoints simultaneously. This broke the 'rules' of art that had been followed since the Renaissance.
Although Cubism is sometimes regarded as being a move away from reality, it was in fact an attempt to present more reality, showing different sides or facets, as if you were walking around an object.
In Cubism the subject matter was less important that the way it was represented. Early Cubist works represented objects, figures, and landscapes. It developed into more cryptic and indecipherable works, in which overall pattern became most important. Early Cubist works were mostly in drab colours; later Cubists such as Juan Gris and Fernand Léger, used more brilliant colours.
The name Cubism was coined by the art critic Louis Vauxelles, from a remark made by Matisse about Braque's painting of "little cubes." The late work of Paul Cézanne is credited as being a catalyst for Cubism.
