As the image was drawn from a fixed position, the result was frozen, like a snapshot - but the Cubists wanted to make pictures that reached beyond the rigid geometry of perspective. The fact that a picture drawn in perspective could only work from one viewpoint restricted their options. The limitations of perspective were also seen as an obstacle to progress by the Cubists.Picasso and Braque developed their ideas on Cubism around 1907 in Paris and their starting point was a common interest in the later paintings of Paul Cézanne. This new way of seeing was called Cubism - the first abstract style of modern art. Artists needed a more radical approach - a 'new way of seeing' that expanded the possibilities of art in the same way that technology was extending the boundaries of communication and travel.When the critic Vauxcelles saw this painting he said the houses 'look like a bunch of little cubes.' He meant the comment to be insulting but the name Cubism stuck. The very name Cubism came from this painting.Their aim was to develop a new way of seeing which reflected the modern age. The Cubists challenged conventional forms of representation, such as perspective, which had been the rule since the Renaissance.

Cubism was an attempt by artists to revitalize the tired traditions of Western art which they believed had run their course.

It was the first style of abstract art which evolved at the beginning of the 20th century in response to a world that was changing with unprecedented speed.

Cubism was a truly revolutionary style of modern art developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

Cubism photo