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Marked By Color
 "Flamenco Singer" Sonia Delaunay. 1916. Orphism is marked by vivid color and geometric shapes; an art movement founded by Robert and Sonia Delaunay. Here, Sonia painted her artistic rendition of a flamenco singer. This piece was done when Robert and Sonia lived in Spain and was heavily influenced by the vibrancy of the Spanish way of life. |  "Hommage à Blériot" Robert Delaunay. 1914. Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland. In this apparently abstract composition, swirling spirals and rotating discs of color form a lyrical pattern across the surface of a sheet of paper. On closer inspection we can see the Eiffel Tower on the right and the wings and propeller of an airplane of the left. These combine with the floating forms in the sky to celebrate the first flight across the English Channel, undertaken by Louis Blériot in 1909. |  "Marché au Minho" Sonia Delaunay. 1912-13. Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris, FR. During this time the Delaunay's were still living an exciting life in Paris in the 1910's a Tango craze hit and Sonia felt inspired by the dancers. Through her use of color and shape not only can you easily see the people who are holding each other you also get a sense of movement. Orphism was known as a ‘lyrical abstraction’ this painting exemplifies exactly that. |
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 "Simultaneous Windows (2nd Motif, 1st Part)" Robert Delaunay. 1912. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY. Delaunay was greatly inspired by architecture and began to explore Cubism as a mean to deconstruct ordinary images. The collection of pieces that this work belongs to begins his “constructive phase” in which he began to layer various elements to create a harmonious composition. This particular piece was done while he was living in Paris and was created from a study of the Eiffel Tower. |  "Cosmic Spring" Frantisek Kupka. 1914. National Museum, Prague, CZ. By this time in his career Kupka had all but abandoned visual narrative and moved to complete abstraction. Although he does not like to be associated with a particular movement his abstraction and use of color would place him in the Orphism category. This oil painting is heavily influenced by Freud's theories of psychology as he explores concepts of the crust of the earth and its abilities to animate life. |  "Prism" Frantisek Kupka. 1947. Kupka was a significant artist belonging to the Orphism movement. With his us of colors and geometric shapes, he created beautiful works using abstraction and deconstruction. “Prism” is an interesting piece because he employed color to emphasize repetition and utilized the negative space to create openness to the composition. The variations in line width juxtaposed with the curvilinear strokes make the piece light yet powerful. |
.jpg) "La Tour Eiffel" Robert Delaunay. 1924-26. Galerie Louis Carré, Paris, FR. With the second arrival of “Eiffel Tower” series by Robert Delaunay comes an abstract portrayal of the famous landmark. Delaunay uses patches of primary colors to contrast his work from that of Cubists, taking the first steps toward Orphism. The backdrop doesn’t include much detail on the rest of the city, but the color itself hints at the energy found throughout it. |  "Amorpha: Fugue in Two Colours" František Kupka. 1912. Amorpha: Fugue in Two Colours illustrates a form of abstraction that brought Kupka to the Orphism movement. This piece is conceived in blue, red, black, and white. Kupka discerned a musical parallel to these abstract forms in the rhythmic patterns of the fugue. Kupka’s paintings of this period are not simple or formulaic abstractions from ultimate “sources” in nature, but are rather pictorial syntheses of the artist’s formal ideas. |  "Rythme Sans Fin" Robert Delaunay. 1934. Tate Modern, London, ENG. This piece is contrasted with the use of colored circles painted diagonally across the canvas to create a sense of continuity. As you view this piece, your eyes can loop back around the same way they came. It is said that this caused Sonia Delaunay to suggest the title, “Endless Rhythms”. |
 "Blanket" Sonia Delaunay. 1911. Musée National d’Art Modern, Paris, FR. This is Sonia Delaunay’s first abstract work. It is a blanket pieced together from scraps of materials after the birth of her son. This work was based on examples made by Russian peasant women. Delaunay’s influence on the development of color and pattern are still around us, especially in the world of fashion. |
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