Smoker 1914

Lyubov Popova’s 1914 painting “Smoker” is a prime example of Cubist art. The figure, composed of geometric shapes, is fragmented and flattened, with a sense of depth conveyed through overlapping planes. The stark black and white palette contributes to the abstraction, emphasizing form and structure. The word "Soirees" on the newspaper held by the figure, a reference to the Russian word for "evenings," hints at a social scene, although Popova’s Cubist style eschews traditional narrative representation.