Dictionary
Cubist and Orphist Abstraction
Orphism has its origins in Cubist abstraction. Cubism provided the necessary starting point for Orphism, with the principle of formal deconstruction. On this basis, the French artist Robert Delaunay (1885-1941) developed an art form, which he referred to "simultaneity", a term he frequently used in his theoretical writings. The path to this point was contentious, as Delaunay mixed Cubist colour principles with Post-Impressionist colour theory, assigning increasing value to the role of colour as a carrier of expression. The resulting compositions were increasingly abstract, rhythmically composed, and frequently dominated by a circular movement.
The term Orphism was coined by the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who saw in Robert Delaunay’s art the power of the mystical singer Orpheus and the power of colour, referring to this as "Orphic Cubism".
Colour and light effects had a particular relevance in the work of Robert Delaunay, who saw pure painting as a universal language, in which colour had its own will.
Robert Delaunay developed Orphic Abstraction between 1909/10 and 1912/13. In his famous Eiffel tower series (from c. 1909), he did not depart from objectivity entirely, but by 1912, had reduced it significantly in his "Fenêtres simultanées", before moving into total abstraction with this works "Simultaneous Discs"-which was first conceived as an experimental image– and the representation of circular, colourful form in 1912/13. These paintings were characterised by a return to complementary and simultaneous contrasts, which suggested dynamic colour harmonies.
Another key exponent of Orphic Abstract art was Robert Delaunay’s wife, Sonia Delaunay-Terk (1885-1979). Other artists whose work contained elements of Orphic Abstraction include František Kupka, Francis Picabia, Jacques Villon and August Macke (later works).
Orphism has its origins in Cubist abstraction. Cubism provided the necessary starting point for Orphism, with the principle of formal deconstruction. On this basis, the French artist Robert Delaunay (1885-1941) developed an art form, which he referred to "simultaneity", a term he frequently used in his theoretical writings. The path to this point was contentious, as Delaunay mixed Cubist colour principles with Post-Impressionist colour theory, assigning increasing value to the role of colour as a carrier of expression. The resulting compositions were increasingly abstract, rhythmically composed, and frequently dominated by a circular movement.
The term Orphism was coined by the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who saw in Robert Delaunay’s art the power of the mystical singer Orpheus and the power of colour, referring to this as "Orphic Cubism".
Colour and light effects had a particular relevance in the work of Robert Delaunay, who saw pure painting as a universal language, in which colour had its own will.
Robert Delaunay developed Orphic Abstraction between 1909/10 and 1912/13. In his famous Eiffel tower series (from c. 1909), he did not depart from objectivity entirely, but by 1912, had reduced it significantly in his "Fenêtres simultanées", before moving into total abstraction with this works "Simultaneous Discs"-which was first conceived as an experimental image– and the representation of circular, colourful form in 1912/13. These paintings were characterised by a return to complementary and simultaneous contrasts, which suggested dynamic colour harmonies.
Another key exponent of Orphic Abstract art was Robert Delaunay’s wife, Sonia Delaunay-Terk (1885-1979). Other artists whose work contained elements of Orphic Abstraction include František Kupka, Francis Picabia, Jacques Villon and August Macke (later works).
Offers