[LexBaird]

Cubism was first introduced to me as an attempt at a new way of showing 3D objects on a 2D surface. The traditional method of doing this is to show an object from one side, with modeling and shadows to give the illusion of depth.

Cubism, OTOH, attempts to show multiple views of the same object at once, or pieces of those views. I thinks sometimes of a mechanical drawing that shows front, side and top elevation, but snipped up into pieces and rejoined oddly.

I always liked Braque better than Picasso's cubist works. It's a pity that he is less associated with the style he invented than his more famous collaborator. I prefer Braque's more limited color palette to Picasso's garishness.

[Republicanprofessor]

Cubism, OTOH, attempts to show multiple views of the same object at once, or pieces of those views.

You are absolutely right. I forgot that angle (pun intended) as it is the usual way that Cubism is taught. The piece I like that shows this is a portrait of Picasso's dealer, Ambroise Vollard. Note how the bald head is emphasized. It shows intelligence, for Vollard could sell these early Picassos. Nowadays, with all the anti-balding products on the market nowadays, one might wonder that Vollard was not more self-conscious of his baldness.

Picasso Ambroise Vollard 1911

Note also that Vollard is a big man (I think), and yet his lower body dissolves into the background. Otherwise, this has all the smaller, modeled planes and dull color of early Analytical Cubism.