Cubism was the first 'abstract' art style which began in the early 1900s when artists such as Georges Braque (French) and Pablo Picasso (Spanish) began painting in such a way that was far removed from traditional art styles. The Cubists tried to create a new way of seeing things in art. Many of their subjects, be they people or landscapes, were represented as combinations of basic geometric shapes - sometimes showing multiple viewpoints of a particular image. This approach was related more to the way we see images in our 'minds-eye' rather than in real life, that is if we close our eyes and try to see an image, perhaps of a friend or a family member, it is often hard to visualise the 'whole' image - we usually see parts or fractured pieces. Cubist pictures are therefore often described as looking like pieces of fractured glass.

The cubists were influenced most by the art of the Post Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne. Picasso described Cézanne as 'the father of us all'. It was Cézanne who began the move to look at the basic shapes in nature.

This painting is by Paul Cézanne.
	Mont Sainte-Victoire Date Painted:1904 - 1906 Size:64 x 81cm (25¼ x 32") Current Location: Philadelphia Museum of Art