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Robert Delaunay

Born – Paris, France 1885

Died – Montpellier, France 1941

Robert Delaunay started to paint in 1904. His early work showed the influence of the Neo-Impressionists and the Fauves but in 1908, enlarging upon Cubism principles; he began his own influential investigation into colour. Delaunay’s painting Saint Séverin (1909) is regarded as the starting point of his new theories of colour. Believing he could create movement and depth purely through contrasts of colour, Delaunay declared that “colour is form and subject”. His paintings of the city of Paris and the Eiffel Tower echoed these concerns. He generally worked in series and moved beyond the conventional notions of landscape to show the dynamism of city life, often from a high vantage point. Windows Open Simultaneously (first part of Triptych, 3^rd motif) uses contrasting colours to break up space in an entirely new way. The poet Apollinaire was the first person to use the term Orphism to describe this movement, which was also closely related to music. His wife, Russian-born Sonia Terk Delaunay, was also a notable artist. Delaunay was a considerable influence on the Blaue Reiter group.

Masterpieces:

• The Eiffel Tower
• Paris, Ste Severin

Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.

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