Cubism originated in Paris between 1906 and 1908 with the revolutionary experiments of Picasso and Braque. It was a movement which spread very rapidly throughout Europe and the world and which extended from painting into other fields of artistic expression such as sculpture and design. In questioning the imperative to be representational and in emphasising an autonomous vision of the world, Cubism was a radical innovation which continued to affect artistic movements well into the century. Philip Cooper examines the wider contemporary cultural background of the artists (and writers) who contributed to Cubism. He gives an account of the emergence and development of this movement and explores its various aspects and phases such as analytical Cubism and synthetic Cubism. There is a full discussion of the Cubists' pioneering approach and use of materials, including the invention of papier colle and collage.

Author Biography

Philip Cooper is an art historian with a special interest in European art of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He has co-authored Impressionism (1994) in the Colour Library series.