The early 20th century gave birth to a contemporary artistic movement that flourished throughout Europe. This era witnessed a variety of artistic styles intrinsic to the developmental changes that were simultaneously occurring in society. The beginning of the 20th century was marked by a period of profound change as well as social, economic and technological developments. Faced with the tragedy and destruction caused by World War I, the general public sought a way to escape. As the presence of classical art diminished, a rise in nationalist ideals stimulated a new movement. Art, at that time, was consistent with the changing ideologies of the people. Artists now sought to create works reflecting subjects such as reality, perspective and the perception of time. Advances in science and psychology, including Einstein's theory of relativity and Freud's psychoanalytic theories, contributed to the introduction of new subjects and the development of a new style, Cubism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Cubism was arguably one of the most revolutionary movements of its time, challenging the ideals and perceptions of Renaissance space. Techniques such as perspective and three-dimensionality were replaced by experimentation with flat surfaces, linear constructions and monochrome color palettes. The term Cubism was coined in 1908 by the critic Louis Vauxcelles. Henri Matisse, a French painter and colorist, in an attempt to describe Braque's landscape paintings at Vauxcelles, explained that they resembled cubes. The term "Cubism" has since gained wide popularity in the press and has even been used to describe this stylistic approach starting in 1911. Cubism, in its simplest form, is an avant-garde artistic movement, partly influenced by artists like Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Cubist artists sought to create an art form consistent with the birth of the modern era. The movement was popularized throughout the 20th century but remains highly influential in the techniques and styles employed by artists in later art movements like Futurism, Constructivism, and Abstract Expressionism. Cubism transformed painting and sculpture and took shape in other artistic fields (literature, architecture and music). The roots of Cubism officially began between the years 1907 and 1914 in Paris when Picasso presented Georges Braque with his first pre-Cubist painting, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. The painting, known for its blatant and arguably crude nature, was considered a radical choice by the general public. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon depicts five naked women in suggestive postures to provoke overt sexual interest. Their faces resemble masks, distinctive of Picasso's derived inspiration from Iberian sculptures and African masks. Additionally, the painting shows Picasso's desire to move away from three-dimensionality. The women in the image are instead projected onto a flattened plane separated by geometric shapes. Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon caught the attention of Braque, who then collaborated with Picasso to launch a new movement that would be the most influential of its era. The first phase of Cubism has been called Analytical Cubism. Lasting from 1908 to 1912, Analytical Cubism abandoned previously used two-dimensional and three-dimensional artistic techniques and crossed aadditional step to create a fourth dimension. For years, artists like Brunelleschi and Masaccio have applied elements of linear perspective to their work. . Based on a singular point of view, this technique reflected a fixed point in space at a fixed moment in time. The fathers of Cubism believed that a single perspective was not effective in conveying reality and was ultimately a dishonest approach. Cubism, according to Picasso and Braque, would be an abandonment of emotional representations and rather a more systematic and logical approach. To achieve the fourth dimension and multiple perspectives (representing both movement and time), Picasso and other artists of his time strove to create a sense of simultaneity. His images were to show all visible sides of an object simultaneously, an idea he believed to be conceptually realistic. The ambiguous space was occupied by geometric shapes, superimposed planes, multiple points of view, fragmented shapes and a monochromatic color palette. By reducing the color palette to shades like black, brown and gray, the image became the density and structure of form. Analytical Cubism, although often appearing abstract, is actually an improved example of realism. Commonly used subjects were examples of still life objects, including bottles, faces and figures, or musical instruments. Picasso's popularization of simultaneity led to its continuation and existence in later art movements like Orphism and abstract art. During these movements, artists merged the concept of time as well as the physical appearance of their subject. Facets belonging to the past and the present were often represented in the same image. This fusion laid the foundation for surrealism, as many notable artists sought to combine the abstract and reality, symbolizing the depths of the conscious and subconscious mind. Picasso's 1910 painting, Portrait of Ambroise Vollard, is considered the birth of this new style known as analytical cubism. Picasso's depiction of the famous art collector and dealer Ambroise Vollard was represented by a dismemberment of his figure through an apparently broken mirror. Despite the surrounding fragmentation, Vollard's nose, eyes and solemn facial expression remain clearly visible to the viewer. Crystal shards are represented by the superposition of several flat geometric planes intersecting at various points. The central point of this painting, like many others of its kind, lies solely in the geometric structure. As previously mentioned, Analytical Cubism is achieved through deconstructing objects and rearranging its parts to create an optical approach that is both multifaceted and honest. For years this style would be prevalent in paintings until it was suddenly abandoned and replaced by what would become known as Synthetic Cubism in 1912. Synthetic Cubism was an unprecedented medium focused on the synthesis of various shapes depicted in the image. Sometimes mixed media was used to draw attention to the visual aesthetic and distract from the subject itself. The presence of an expanded color palette became increasingly important to the entire piece, allowing for a more decorative and elaborate representation of its forms. Texture also played an important role in the construction of many paintings, using both smooth and rough surfaces on the canvas. Artists sometimes plastered newspaper cutouts, fabrics and text to create an effect of.