Seeing from Everywhere

Cubism's big idea was simple: one viewpoint tells only part of the truth. A nose seen head-on hides its bridge; a cup seen from the side hides its round opening. So the Cubists refused to choose. They packed the front, the side, and the top of an object into a single image.

The goal was never to confuse you. It was to show the whole object at once — everything you'd learn about it by walking around it, held still on one flat surface.