Cubism was part of a larger revolutionary atmosphere in the arts in the early 20th century that would come to be known collectively as the avant garde (a French term derived from the words for the front forces in an army). Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso were the first practitioners of the school, which radically reinterpreted the perspective from which real-life objects were depicted in art.
Primitivism
One of the most important roots of cubism is primitivism, which emphasized tribal representations like the flattened faces of African masks. This can be seen in Pablo Picasso's proto-Cubist "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" (1907).
Analysis
Analytical cubism was cubism's first movement (1908-12). During this time, Picasso and Braque pulled an object apart by depicting it from all possible angles on just one plane.
Color
Color was de-emphasized by the analytical cubists, who used dark and monochromatic schemes. This was a major shift for Braque, who had been a fauvist (a movement that exaggerated color).
Form
Influenced by Paul Cezanne, the analytical cubists reduced forms to their geometric components, such as spheres as cones.
Synthetic Cubism
As opposed to analytic cubism, which deconstructed one object, synthetic cubism brought multiple objects into the same perspective simultaneously.
Technique
Synthetic cubism marked the first time techniques like collage, decoupage and stuck paper were seen as art (as opposed to craft).
Artists
While Picasso and Braque continued to work in cubism during its synthetic period, the Spaniard Juan Gris joined them and became an important contributor.
