In late 1906, Picasso started to paint in a truly revolutionary manner. Inspired by Cézanne's flattened depiction of space, and working alongside his friend Georges Braque, he began to express space in strongly geometrical terms. These initial efforts at developing this almost sculptural sense of space in painting are the beginnings of Cubism.

The famous "Demoiselles d'Avignon" is often represented as the seminal Cubist work. Although its impact on later Modernism cannot be denied, William Rubin has proven that it was actually a false start of sorts that did not lead directly into the Cubist work. You can tell this from the 1907 date of the Demoiselles, while the truly proto-Cubist works begin to appear later, in 1908-09.

Sketch for The Demoiselles d'Avignon. 1907. Watercolor on paper. Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, USA

 Decanter and Tureens. 1908. Oil on cardboard. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia

Pot, Wine-Glass and Book. 1908. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia

 

Green Bowl and Black Bottle 1908. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia

Woman Seated. 1908. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.


Friendship. 1908. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia


Head of a Man. Oil on canvas. Barnes Foundation, Lincoln University, Merion, PA, USA


The Dance of the Veils. 1907. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia


Head of a Woman. 1907. Oil on canvas. Barnes Foundation, Lincoln University, Merion, PA, USA


Composition with a Skull. 1907. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia


Nude (Half-Length). 1907. oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia


Self-Portrait. 1907. Oil on canvas. Narodni Gallery, Prague, Czechia.



Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. 1907. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Arts, New York, NY

Flowers in a Grey Jug and Wine-Glass with Spoon. 1908. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

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