Ill Seen, Ill Said: Cubism

I couldn't help but think of Cubist paintings as I've been seeing all the colour-blocking and asymmetry in this season's collections. Braque and Picasso were the founders of analytical cubism, but their palettes were very muddy, monochromatic, airless. I found better corollaries in the paintings of Juan Gris, with his brighter palette.

Cubism is mostly viewed as an important stepping stone towards abstraction. Light crept back in quickly, followed by movement and even aural allusions. Those cubist planes hurtled their creators towards further abstraction. So, we mostly think of Cubism now only in the context of all that follows. But how exciting it must have been! Such an idea - throwing out one-point perspective; leveling everything onto the same plane, not trying to hide the canvas.