Cubism Photography

Over a period of seven years leading up to 1914 and the outbreak of the First World War, Cubism marked a decisive break from representative painting, reflecting a radical fissure in politics, art, and culture.

Led by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, the Cubist painters pursued an abstract, geometric approach.

Cubist paintings often look as if the subject has been constructed from a hundred or more snapshots, all taken from different angles. Where people are represented, they are sharply angular and feature masks that strongly suggest an African influence.

Familiar objects, such as violins and guitars, are sliced up and the reassembled fragments skewed and rotated; they are often accompanied by lettering and musical notes. Color sometimes remains, though grays and browns predominate.

For our exercise we used photographed various exercises around the visual art rooms, and then had a go and it was not an easy task.