cubist
UK[ˈkjuːbɪst]US[ˈkjuːbɪst]
adj
relating to or characteristic of cubism, an early 20th-century style of art that uses geometric shapes
n
an artist who paints in the style of cubism
Morpheme Breakdown
cub
ist
cub
e
ist
a person who practices or is concerned with something
Etymology
the term 'cubist' is a direct derivation from the art movement 'cubism', which was coined around 1908. the name 'cubism' itself originated from a critical remark by french art critic louis vauxcelles, who described georges braque's paintings as reducing everything to 'geometric outlines, to cubes'. the root 'cube' is borrowed from latin 'cubus', which in turn came from greek 'kubos', originally meaning a six-sided die. the suffix '-ist', of greek origin, is a common agent-forming suffix in english. thus, 'cubist' literally means 'one concerned with cubes', elegantly capturing the movement's foundational logic of deconstructing objects into geometric, often cubic, forms.
Analysis
Structure: cub(e) + ist
- cub(e): from latin 'cubus', meaning 'cube'. in this context, it refers to the geometric shapes central to the art movement.
- ist: a suffix of greek origin via latin, forming agent nouns, meaning 'a person who practices or is concerned with something'.
Examples
the gallery featured a remarkable collection of cubist paintings by pablo picasso and georges braque.
as a young painter, she was deeply influenced by the cubist artists of the early 20th century.
his early work was cubist in style, before he moved towards surrealism.