The best examples of examples of techniques used in Cubism

Let’s skip the dry definitions and jump straight into how these paintings behave. When people search for examples of examples of techniques used in Cubism, what they usually want is: “Show me what Cubists actually did on the canvas.” So let’s start with a few famous works and then unpack the tricks behind them.

Take Pablo Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” (1907) at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Faces are split into sharp facets, bodies look like they’ve been folded out of cardboard, and the space around the figures feels broken and unstable. This painting is a textbook example of early Cubist fragmentation: instead of one smooth surface, you get a mosaic of angles.

Jump a few years to Georges Braque’s “Violin and Candlestick” (1910). The violin, table, and background dissolve into overlapping planes. You can sort of recognize the objects, but they’re sliced, flattened, and rearranged. This is an example of how Cubists used multiple viewpoints and fractured form to show more than a single frozen angle.

Then look at Picasso’s “Still Life with Chair Caning” (1912). There’s a printed oilcloth that imitates chair-caning, a rope frame, and painted fragments of objects. This one is a classic example of Cubist collage, where real-world materials crash into painted illusion.

All of these are strong examples of techniques used in Cubism: fractured planes, multiple perspectives, limited color, collage, and text. Now let’s break those down, technique by technique.

Fragmented forms: the best examples of Cubist “shattered” reality

If you want a clean example of Cubist fragmentation, look again at “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.” The five figures are not modeled with soft shading; they’re built from hard-edged geometric slices. Noses are shown from the side while eyes stare straight at you. It’s like someone drew classical figures, then ran them through a crystal.

Other strong examples include Braque’s “Woman with a Guitar” (1913) and Juan Gris’s “Portrait of Picasso” (1912). In both, the human figure is broken into interlocking shards. You can still find a shoulder, a jawline, or a hat, but you have to work for it.

This technique wasn’t just a stylistic flex. It came from a very modern anxiety: how do you paint a world where photography, cinema, and industrial speed are changing how we see? Fragmentation became a visual answer. Artists used overlapping planes, sharp diagonals, and prismatic shapes to suggest that reality isn’t one smooth, stable thing—it’s layered, unstable, and constantly shifting.

If you’re collecting examples of examples of techniques used in Cubism for study, any high-analytic-phase work from 1909–1912 by Picasso or Braque will give you a clear example of this fractured, crystalline look.

Multiple viewpoints: examples of seeing all sides at once

Another classic example of a technique used in Cubism is the simultaneous viewpoint. Instead of choosing one angle, Cubists fold several angles into the same image.

A great example of this is Picasso’s “Girl with a Mandolin” (1910). Her face seems to twist: nose in profile, eyes frontal, jawline somewhere in between. The mandolin tilts toward and away from us at the same time. It’s not a mistake; it’s the point.

In Braque’s “Violin and Palette” (1909), the violin’s body and neck appear from different angles, while the hanging palette flattens into the background. These are real examples of how Cubists tried to show time and movement in a single frame—almost like a slow-motion video compressed into one still image.

If you’re looking for an example of this idea in a more structured style, check out Juan Gris’s “Still Life with Checked Tablecloth” (1915). Objects like bottles and newspapers are arranged so that you see their tops, sides, and fronts at once. Gris is often recommended in museum guides as one of the best examples of “readable” Cubism, where the technique is clear but the subject is still approachable.

Flattened space: when foreground and background swap places

Traditional painting loves deep space: foreground, middle ground, background, all receding into the distance. Cubism mostly says, “No thanks.” Instead, it piles everything onto a shallow stage.

Braque’s “Houses at L’Estaque” (1908) is an early example of how Cubists flattened space using blocky, simplified shapes. The houses stack up almost like a wall rather than receding into a landscape. This flattening was inspired in part by Cézanne, but Cubists pushed it harder.

In analytic Cubism, like Picasso’s “Ma Jolie” (1911–12), the flattening becomes even more intense. The figure and the background merge into a dense mesh of planes. You don’t get a clear sense of “in front” and “behind”; everything exists in a compressed zone just under the surface of the canvas.

These works are solid examples of techniques used in Cubism to break the rules of Renaissance perspective. Instead of a window into space, the painting becomes an object in its own right—a flat thing that proudly looks flat.

Limited color palettes: why so many Cubist works are brown and gray

If you’ve ever thought, “Why do early Cubist paintings look like they were painted with old coffee?” you’ve spotted another standard technique.

In analytic Cubism, artists often used muted browns, grays, and ochers. For example, Picasso’s “Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler” (1910) is built almost entirely out of soft, earthy tones. The same goes for many of Braque’s still lifes from 1909–1912.

This restricted palette is a clear example of how Cubists wanted viewers to focus on form and structure rather than getting distracted by bright color. By stripping the color down, the complex geometry becomes the main event.

Later, in synthetic Cubism, color comes roaring back. Picasso’s “Three Musicians” (1921) uses bold patches of blue, orange, and black in flat, paper-like shapes. That shift itself is one of the best examples of how Cubist techniques evolved over time: from subtle, almost monochrome experiments to louder, collage-inspired designs.

If you’re compiling examples of examples of techniques used in Cubism, it’s worth comparing an early analytic work in browns and grays with a later, brightly colored synthetic piece. The contrast makes the technique of color control very obvious.

Collage and mixed media: real-world stuff glued into the painting

One of the most famous examples of techniques used in Cubism is collage—literally sticking real materials onto the surface.

Picasso’s “Still Life with Chair Caning” (1912) is often cited as one of the best examples. He used a piece of printed oilcloth that imitates woven cane, then framed the whole thing with a length of rope. Painted fragments of a café table and objects float over this fake chair seat. It’s half painting, half physical object.

Georges Braque joined in with works like “Fruit Dish and Glass” (1912), where he glued newspaper and wallpaper directly onto the support, then painted over and around them. These are real examples of Cubism punching a hole in the barrier between art and everyday life.

Collage also allowed Cubists to play with typography and mass media. A scrap of a French newspaper headline, a bit of a wine label, or a piece of a music sheet could slide into the composition. This technique still feels surprisingly current in 2024–2025, given how much contemporary art (and even digital design) borrows from cut-and-paste, remix culture.

If you want to see museum-backed documentation of this shift, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has a clear overview of Cubist collage and synthetic Cubism techniques on its Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/.

Text, stencils, and typography: examples include letters that don’t “belong”

Another strong example of a technique used in Cubism is the use of letters and words right inside the picture.

In Braque’s “The Portuguese” (1911), you’ll see stenciled letters and numbers floating across the fragmented figure. They don’t describe the subject directly; instead, they break up the surface and remind you that this is a constructed object.

Picasso’s “Still Life with Bottle of Rum” (1911) and later still lifes often use partial words like “JOU” (from journal, newspaper) painted or collaged into the scene. These are real examples of Cubists treating language like another visual material—on the same level as a bottle, a glass, or a table.

In modern design terms, this is not far from how we mix text and imagery in posters, album covers, and social media graphics. It’s one of the best examples of a Cubist technique that still feels very alive in graphic design and digital art today.

Synthetic Cubism: bold, simplified shapes as examples of later techniques

If analytic Cubism is all about subtle shattering, synthetic Cubism is about bold, cut-out forms. Around 1912, Picasso, Braque, and others started using larger, simpler shapes, brighter color, and more obvious collage.

A clear example of this is Picasso’s “Three Musicians” (1921), where the figures are built from flat, puzzle-like blocks of color. Another is Juan Gris’s “The Sunblind” (1914), which layers simplified objects, patterns, and strong color into a kind of visual patchwork.

These works are excellent examples of examples of techniques used in Cubism’s later phase:

• Bigger, cleaner shapes rather than tiny, fussy facets
• Stronger color contrasts
• More obvious collage elements (printed papers, faux wood grain, etc.)
• Clearer references to real objects, even as they stay stylized

If you’re teaching or learning, synthetic Cubist works are often the best examples to introduce first, because the objects are easier to recognize while still showing off the techniques.

How Cubist techniques echo in 2024–2025

Cubism might be over a century old, but its techniques are having a quiet second life in digital art and design.

In 2024–2025, you’ll find real examples of Cubist-inspired techniques in:

• 3D modeling and VR art, where designers break objects into facets or show multiple angles in one view—very much a digital echo of analytic Cubism.
• Album covers and posters, which often use overlapping geometric planes, fractured portraits, and bold typography. Many contemporary graphic designers directly reference Cubism’s collage and text techniques.
• AR filters and glitch aesthetics, where faces are sliced, repeated, and rearranged in real time—arguably one of the wildest modern examples of multiple viewpoints.

Art schools and museums still treat these early works as the best examples of how modern artists started questioning reality and perception. For a solid academic overview of Cubism’s historical impact, the Tate in the UK offers accessible essays and examples: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/cubism.

If you’re more interested in learning theory and art history context, many university sites, such as Khan Academy’s art history resources (in partnership with major museums), include guided analyses of key Cubist paintings: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history.

FAQ: short answers with real examples

Q: What are some classic examples of techniques used in Cubism?
Some of the best examples include fragmented forms in Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon,” multiple viewpoints in “Girl with a Mandolin,” flattened space in Braque’s “Violin and Palette,” muted analytic color in “Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler,” and collage with real materials in “Still Life with Chair Caning.” All of these give you clear, real examples of how Cubists broke with traditional painting.

Q: Can you give an example of Cubist collage I can actually recognize?
Yes. Picasso’s “Still Life with Chair Caning” is often cited as the go-to example of Cubist collage. You can easily spot the printed chair-caning pattern and the rope frame. Braque’s “Fruit Dish and Glass” is another recognizable example, with newspaper and wallpaper pieces integrated into a café still life.

Q: Are there examples of Cubist techniques in modern digital art?
Absolutely. Many digital illustrators and motion designers use fractured portraits, overlapping geometric planes, and layered typography that echo Cubist techniques. While they might not label it “Cubism,” the look—multiple viewpoints, collage-like layering, and bold shapes—is directly in line with the classic examples of techniques used in Cubism.

Q: What’s an easy example of Cubism for beginners to study?
For a more readable example of Cubist structure, try Juan Gris’s “Still Life with Checked Tablecloth.” The objects are clear—bottles, glasses, newspapers—but they’re arranged with multiple viewpoints, flattened space, and simplified shapes. It’s one of the best examples for spotting Cubist techniques without getting completely lost in abstraction.

If you’re building your own study list of examples of examples of techniques used in Cubism, use this simple strategy: pair one early analytic work (muted color, heavy fragmentation) with one later synthetic work (brighter color, collage, bigger shapes). That contrast will make every technique—from fractured form to collage and typography—stand out in sharp, memorable detail.