Rythme n°2

Robert Delaunay prints bring bursts of pure colour and dynamic circles into your home. Delaunay was a French painter who, with his wife Sonia Delaunay, founded Orphism, a joyful branch of modern art built on colour and light, and his Eiffel Towers, Windows and Rhythms influenced artists across Europe and America. Our collection of fine art prints includes his Eiffel Tower paintings, Windows, The Cardiff Team, circular forms and late Rhythms.

About Robert Delaunay

Robert Delaunay was born in Paris on 12 April 1885. After his parents divorced he was raised by an aunt and uncle near Bourges. In 1902 he went to study decorative arts in a Paris studio, and at nineteen left to paint full-time, showing six works at the Salon des Indépendants in 1904. A stay in Brittany brought him into contact with the Pont-Aven painters, and in 1906 he met Henri Rousseau.

Around 1906–1907 he worked closely with Jean Metzinger in a bold Neo-Impressionist style of large, mosaic-like blocks of colour. In 1909 he began his series of paintings of Paris and the Eiffel Tower. In 1910 he married the artist Sonia Terk, and together they founded Orphism, named by the poet Guillaume Apollinaire. At Wassily Kandinsky's invitation he joined the Blaue Reiter group in Munich and showed in its first exhibition.

In 1912 he painted the Windows series, among the first paintings made purely of colour. The First World War found the Delaunays in Spain, and in 1915 they moved to Portugal. Back in Paris after the war, he returned to themes of sport and modern life, and in the 1930s painted large abstract Rhythms. He died in Montpellier on 25 October 1941.

Style and Subjects

Delaunay believed colour had its own power and could create form, depth and movement on its own. His paintings are built from contrasting patches and discs of bright colour that seem to vibrate and turn.

His Eiffel Towers twist and break apart in shattered, energetic views. The Windows dissolve the city into prisms of colour, and his later Rhythms and Circular Forms are pure abstraction, joyful wheels of colour.

Famous Works

• Saint-Séverin No. 3 (1909–1910), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. The Gothic church interior with its columns bending in light.
• Champs de Mars, the Red Tower (1911), Art Institute of Chicago. The Eiffel Tower shattered into fragments of red and grey.
• Windows Open Simultaneously (1st Part, 3rd Motif) (1912), Tate, London. Paris seen through a window, dissolved into colour.
• The Cardiff Team (1913). Rugby players leaping beneath the Eiffel Tower and a giant wheel.
• Homage to Blériot (1914), Kunstmuseum Basel. Spinning discs of colour celebrating the pioneer aviator.
• Carousel of Pigs (1922), Centre Pompidou, Paris. A fairground ride whirling in circles of colour.
• Endless Rhythm (1934), Tate, London. A late abstraction of interlocking circles.

Decorating with Delaunay Prints

Delaunay's colourful abstractions suit modern living rooms, home offices and creative studios. Rhythms and Circular Forms look striking against white or grey walls, and a pair of his late works makes a dynamic focal point above a sofa.

His Eiffel Towers, such as Soleil, tour, aéroplane, are perfect for anyone who loves Paris, and The Cardiff Team brings sporting energy to a den or teenager's room.

FAQ

What is Orphism?

Orphism was a branch of modern art founded by Robert and Sonia Delaunay, built on strong colours and geometric shapes. The poet Guillaume Apollinaire gave it its name.

What are Robert Delaunay's most famous works?

His Eiffel Tower series, the Windows of 1912, The Cardiff Team, Homage to Blériot and his late Rhythms are among his best known.

Who was Sonia Delaunay?

Sonia Delaunay, born Sonia Terk, was an artist and designer who married Robert in 1910 and co-founded Orphism with him.

Was Delaunay part of the Blaue Reiter?

Yes. At Kandinsky's invitation he joined the Munich group and showed in its first exhibition, and his ideas on colour influenced Franz Marc, August Macke and Paul Klee.

Where can I see Delaunay's paintings?

Works are in the Centre Pompidou and the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris, Tate in London, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Kunstmuseum Basel.

Related Artists

• August Macke: Blaue Reiter painter influenced by his colour theories
• Franz Marc: Blaue Reiter painter influenced by his colour theories
• Paul Klee: artist influenced by his ideas on colour and light
• Albert Gleizes: fellow Cubist of the Paris avant-garde
• Sonia Delaunay: his wife and co-founder of Orphism