1. Robert Delaunay
Robert Delaunay was a French artist who, with his wife Sonia Delaunay and others,
cofounded the Orphism art movement, noted for its use of strong colours and geometric
shapes. He was born on 12thApril 1885 and died on 25h October 1941. His later works were
more abstract, reminiscent of Paul Klee. His key influence related to bold use of colour, and a
clear love of experimentation of both depth and tone.
At the prime of his career he painted the known series that included: the Saint-Sévrin series
(1909–10); the City series (1909–11); the Eiffel Tower series (1909–12); the City of Paris
series (1911–12); the Window series (1912–14); the Cardiff Team series (1913); the Circular
Forms series (1913); and The First Disk (1913).
Artist Robert Delaunay is most closely identified with Orphism. From 1912 to 1914, he
painted nonfigurative paintings based on the optical characteristics of brilliant colors that
were so dynamic they would function as the form. His theories are mostly concerned with
color and light and influenced many including the Americans, Macdonald Wright, Morgan
Russell, Patrick Bruce, The Blaue Reiter group, August Macke, Franz marc, Paul Klee, and
Lyonel Feininger. Apollinaire was strongly influenced by Delaunay’s theories of color and
often quoted from them to explain Orphism. Delaunay’s fixations with color as the expressive
and structural means were sustained with his study of color.
His writings on color, which were influenced by scientists and theoreticians, are intuitive and
can be sometimes random statements based on the belief that color is a thing in itself with its
own powers of expression and form. He believes painting is a purely visual art that depends
on intellectual elements, and perception is in the impact of colored light from the eye. The
contrasts and harmonies of color produce in the eye simultaneous movements and correspond
to movement in nature. Vision becomes the subject of painting.