The Cubism
movement begain in 1907 with the completion of Picasso's "Les
Demoisellles d'Avignon." In this painting, Picasso depicts a group
of prostitutes where the figures and their setting are broken
up into angular shapes. The painting is characterized by sharp
edges and angles approaching prisms with restrained colors. Some
of the ladies in this painting are wearing masks which were influenced
by the African sculptures Picasso became interested in.
As the Cubism movement progressed, Picasso began to experiment
with "Analytical" cubism where the object was "taken apart" and
reshaped with the use of flat intersecting planes. Picasso was
always seeking new and original ways to express himself through
art and when he tired of "Analytical" cubism he began experimenting
with what became known as "Synthetic" cubism, that incorporated
Items like newspaper clippings, rope and other objects that were
worked into a picture. This was the invention of the "collage."
