The early 20th century gave rise to a contemporary art movement that flourished throughout Europe. This era witnessed a variety of artistic styles intrinsic to the developmental changes that were occurring simultaneously in society. The beginning of the 20th century was characterized by a period of great social, economic and technological changes and developments. With the tragedy and destruction caused by the First World War, the general public sought an escape. As the presence of classical art declined, a rise in nationalistic ideals stimulated a new movement. Art, at this time, was consistent with people's changing ideologies. Artists now sought to create works that reflected topics such as reality, perspective, and the perception of time. Advances made in science and psychology, especially Einstein's theory of relativity and Freud's psychoanalytic theories, contributed to the introduction of new topics and the development of a new style, cubism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Cubism was undoubtedly one of the most innovative movements of its time, challenging Renaissance ideals and perceptions of space. Techniques such as perspective and three-dimensionality have been replaced by experimentation with flat surfaces, linear constructions and monochromatic color palettes. The term Cubism was coined in 1908 by the critic Louis Vauxcelles. Henri Matisse, a French painter and colourist, in attempting to describe Braque's landscape paintings in Vauxcelles explained that they seemed to be made up of cubes. Since then the term "cubism" gained great popularity among the press and was also used to describe this stylistic approach starting in 1911. Cubism, in its simplest form, is an avant-garde artistic movement, partly influenced by artists such as 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 recent art movements such as 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 brazen and arguably crude nature, was considered a radical choice by the general public. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon depicts five naked women in a suggestive posture to provoke overt sexual interest. Their faces appear like masks, a hallmark of Picasso's inspiration derived from Iberian sculptures and African masks. Furthermore, 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 later collaborated with Picasso to pioneer a new movement that would be the most influential of its time. The first phase of Cubism was coined as Analytical Cubism. From 1908 to 1912, Analytical Cubism abandoned the previously used two-dimensional and three-dimensional artistic techniques and went a step further to create a fourth dimension. For years, artists such as Brunelleschi and Masaccio applied elements of linear perspective to their work. . Based on a single point of view, this techniqueit reflected a fixed point in space to a fixed point 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 mean a move away from emotional representations and, instead, towards a more systematic and logical approach. To achieve the fourth dimension and multiple perspectives (depicting both movement and time) Picasso and other artists of his time strove to create a sense of simultaneity. His images had to show all visible sides of an object simultaneously, an idea he believed was conceptually realistic. The ambiguous space was occupied by geometric shapes, overlapping planes, different points of view, fragmented shapes and a monochromatic color scheme. By reducing the color palette to shades such as black, brown and grey, the focus of the image became the density and structure of the form. Analytical Cubism, although often appearing abstract, is actually an enhanced 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 artistic movements such as Orphism and abstract art. During these movements, the artists merged the concept of time and the physical appearance of their subjects. Facets belonging to the past and present were often depicted in the same image. This fusion laid the foundation for surrealism, as many notable artists sought to combine the abstract with 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, featured a dismemberment of his figure through an apparent shattered mirror. Despite the surrounding fragmentation, Vollard's nose, eyes and solemn facial expression remain clearly visible to the viewer. Crystal fragments are represented by the layering of multiple flat geometric planes that intersect at a variety of points. The focus of the painting, like many others of its kind, lies exclusively in the geometric structure. As previously mentioned, Analytical Cubism is achieved through the deconstruction of objects and the rearrangement of 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 became known as Synthetic Cubism in 1912. Synthetic Cubism was an unprecedented medium that focused on the synthesis of various forms depicted in the image. Sometimes, mixed media was used to draw attention to the visual aesthetic and draw attention away from the subject matter itself. The presence of an expanded color palette became increasingly important to the work as a whole, allowing for a more decorative and elaborate depiction of its forms. Texture also took on an important role in the construction of many paintings, using both smooth and rough surfaces on the canvas. Artists sometimes glued together cutouts of newspaper prints, fabrics, and text to create a collage-like effect. This can be seen in Braque's papier collé works. Braque first used this technique in his most famous piece of papier collé, Fruit Dish and Glass. Highly influential in the synthetic phase of Cubism, Braque valued the surface and texture of the painting. While working in the south of France with.