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拍品专文
“An indispensable thing to me is the direct observation of nature and its luminous essence,” Robert Delaunay wrote in 1912 letter to Auguste Macke. “I do not exactly mean with a palette in hand (although I am not against notes taken immediately from nature—I often work from nature—what is called popularity: in front of the subject). But I attach great importance to observation of the movement of colors.” (Robert Delaunay to August Macke, 1912 in The New Art of Color: The Writings of Robert and Sonia Delaunay, New York, 1978, p. 118).
Emanating with vibrancy and movement, Nature morte portugaise, étude dates from the pivotal years in Delaunay’s career, when he evolved from the classic ideals of his cubist contemporaries towards his own distinct painterly style, known as Orphism. Skillfully morphing figurative and abstract forms with a unique vivacity nurtured by his keen understanding of light and color, the present work depicts an abundant spread of fresh fruits and vegetables set atop colorful patterned tablecloths.
Delaunay abstracts the traditional subject of the still life with classic cubist principles—distorting forms and forgoing any linear perspective—but further imbues it with movement, vibrancy, and a palpable sense of energy, qualities that would come to define the Orphism movement which he spearheaded alongside his wife Sonia Delaunay.
In 1914, Robert and Sonia were persuaded to visit friends on the Iberian Peninsula, first visiting Madrid, then travelling to the Basque town of Funterrabia. It was during this sojourn that World War I broke out, and rather than returning home to Paris, the couple decided to settle in the remote village of Vila do Condo in northern Portugal with their son Charles. Introduced to the town by fellow artists Sam Halpert and Edouardo Vianna, Vila do Condo proved to be an optimal respite for the young family, and they remained in Iberia until 1921. Crawling with other artists, the community relished in the tranquility and inspiration they found far removed from the turbulence ensuing further East, and the Iberian idyll served as the perfect backdrop for the Delaunays to hone in on the Orphist principles they had recently established, and embark on some of the most fruitful years of their careers.
It was “a dream life,” wrote Sonia, “we could work quietly from morning to night. The villa was perched on the sand dunes, with the cacti blooming in the garden. I thought I was living in a fairytale. As soon as we arrived, I fell in love with the village” (Nous irons jusqu’au soleil, Paris, 1978, p. 37). Vila do Condo imbued the Delaunays with a jolt of creative activity. In particular, it was the simplistic rituals of the local townspeople, their folksy patterns and rustic motifs set against the resplendent backdrop of the seaside town, from which Robert drew the most inspiration. “The light was not violent, but glorified all the colours—the multi-coloured houses of dazzling white, of sombre contour, the countrymen in popular costume, fabrics, and ceramics of beautiful, antique line and an astonishing purity, amidst the crowd of hieratic bulls with long horns” (quoted in M. Hogg, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, exh. cat., Musée national d'art moderne, Paris, 1967). The Delaunay’s transcribed these sensations of freedom and ease in their work, juxtaposing contrasting colors and dynamic shapes to manufacture a sense of energy and motion, thus defining Orphism’s fundamental principles and infusing otherwise simplistic images of village life with a dynamic, energetic effect, enhancing viewers visual experience.
Such liveliness is clearly exemplified in the present still life. With repeated circular shapes and a spirited color palette comprising of warm yellows and coral tones, rich emeralds, and vibrant pastel greens, Delaunay infuses an abstract still life with the radiance of the sun-basked town and the happy atmosphere felt by its inhabitants. The fresh fruits, likely purchased at the local market, which Delaunay also frequently depicted in his work, are strewn about messily on the table. With an animated air, the melon rind seems to teeter back and forth on its curved backside while small fruits tumble out of their dish, nearly indistinguishable from the rounded floral patterns of the tablecloth, which too seem to be in motion, floating up and away from their fixed place on the fabric.
The energy pulsating through the composition is due in large part to Delaunay’s tactful placement of contrasting colors in conjunction with rounded, abstract shapes, an Orphist technique he had first mastered in 1912, simulating energy and motion within concentric circles in his Disks series. “For Delaunay, the movement created by color contrasts was an abbreviation of the world; it was the basic structure combining every living thing with the motion of light,” notes Gustav Vriesen (Robert Delaunay: Light and Color, New York, 1967, p. 61). During his Portugal years, Delaunay experimented with a new technique involving the mixing of wax into oil paint to amplify the luminosity of his already vivacious palette, further heightening his works’ animated quality. “What was important was the greatest purity and strength of colour,” Sonia commented. “As a consequence, these artworks did not fade, and their colors are as bright now as on the first day” (quoted in op. cit., exh. cat., 1967). Much unlike the politically charged works of his contemporaries—in stark contrast especially to Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque’s cubist compositions done in muddied greys and browns, with harsh, geometric lines—Delaunay’s Nature morte portugaise, étude, resounding in the freedom of color and movement, is indicative of the sense of liberty and tranquility felt by the artist in his secluded corner of the continent.
The present work was purchased directly from Sonia by Nanette and Herbert Rothschild before 1956, and has remained in their family collection ever since. Correspondence between Sonia and Nanette reveals a friendship between the two women. In a letter dated February 1959, Sonia updates Nanette on some of her upcoming exhibitions and projects, and describes having met one of Nanette’s daughters. “She has the seriousness of a young European girl, and a lot of charm, and from what I could see a lot of talent,” wrote Sonia. “I hope to see you soon in Paris with your husband.”
Emanating with vibrancy and movement, Nature morte portugaise, étude dates from the pivotal years in Delaunay’s career, when he evolved from the classic ideals of his cubist contemporaries towards his own distinct painterly style, known as Orphism. Skillfully morphing figurative and abstract forms with a unique vivacity nurtured by his keen understanding of light and color, the present work depicts an abundant spread of fresh fruits and vegetables set atop colorful patterned tablecloths.
Delaunay abstracts the traditional subject of the still life with classic cubist principles—distorting forms and forgoing any linear perspective—but further imbues it with movement, vibrancy, and a palpable sense of energy, qualities that would come to define the Orphism movement which he spearheaded alongside his wife Sonia Delaunay.
In 1914, Robert and Sonia were persuaded to visit friends on the Iberian Peninsula, first visiting Madrid, then travelling to the Basque town of Funterrabia. It was during this sojourn that World War I broke out, and rather than returning home to Paris, the couple decided to settle in the remote village of Vila do Condo in northern Portugal with their son Charles. Introduced to the town by fellow artists Sam Halpert and Edouardo Vianna, Vila do Condo proved to be an optimal respite for the young family, and they remained in Iberia until 1921. Crawling with other artists, the community relished in the tranquility and inspiration they found far removed from the turbulence ensuing further East, and the Iberian idyll served as the perfect backdrop for the Delaunays to hone in on the Orphist principles they had recently established, and embark on some of the most fruitful years of their careers.
It was “a dream life,” wrote Sonia, “we could work quietly from morning to night. The villa was perched on the sand dunes, with the cacti blooming in the garden. I thought I was living in a fairytale. As soon as we arrived, I fell in love with the village” (Nous irons jusqu’au soleil, Paris, 1978, p. 37). Vila do Condo imbued the Delaunays with a jolt of creative activity. In particular, it was the simplistic rituals of the local townspeople, their folksy patterns and rustic motifs set against the resplendent backdrop of the seaside town, from which Robert drew the most inspiration. “The light was not violent, but glorified all the colours—the multi-coloured houses of dazzling white, of sombre contour, the countrymen in popular costume, fabrics, and ceramics of beautiful, antique line and an astonishing purity, amidst the crowd of hieratic bulls with long horns” (quoted in M. Hogg, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, exh. cat., Musée national d'art moderne, Paris, 1967). The Delaunay’s transcribed these sensations of freedom and ease in their work, juxtaposing contrasting colors and dynamic shapes to manufacture a sense of energy and motion, thus defining Orphism’s fundamental principles and infusing otherwise simplistic images of village life with a dynamic, energetic effect, enhancing viewers visual experience.
Such liveliness is clearly exemplified in the present still life. With repeated circular shapes and a spirited color palette comprising of warm yellows and coral tones, rich emeralds, and vibrant pastel greens, Delaunay infuses an abstract still life with the radiance of the sun-basked town and the happy atmosphere felt by its inhabitants. The fresh fruits, likely purchased at the local market, which Delaunay also frequently depicted in his work, are strewn about messily on the table. With an animated air, the melon rind seems to teeter back and forth on its curved backside while small fruits tumble out of their dish, nearly indistinguishable from the rounded floral patterns of the tablecloth, which too seem to be in motion, floating up and away from their fixed place on the fabric.
The energy pulsating through the composition is due in large part to Delaunay’s tactful placement of contrasting colors in conjunction with rounded, abstract shapes, an Orphist technique he had first mastered in 1912, simulating energy and motion within concentric circles in his Disks series. “For Delaunay, the movement created by color contrasts was an abbreviation of the world; it was the basic structure combining every living thing with the motion of light,” notes Gustav Vriesen (Robert Delaunay: Light and Color, New York, 1967, p. 61). During his Portugal years, Delaunay experimented with a new technique involving the mixing of wax into oil paint to amplify the luminosity of his already vivacious palette, further heightening his works’ animated quality. “What was important was the greatest purity and strength of colour,” Sonia commented. “As a consequence, these artworks did not fade, and their colors are as bright now as on the first day” (quoted in op. cit., exh. cat., 1967). Much unlike the politically charged works of his contemporaries—in stark contrast especially to Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque’s cubist compositions done in muddied greys and browns, with harsh, geometric lines—Delaunay’s Nature morte portugaise, étude, resounding in the freedom of color and movement, is indicative of the sense of liberty and tranquility felt by the artist in his secluded corner of the continent.
The present work was purchased directly from Sonia by Nanette and Herbert Rothschild before 1956, and has remained in their family collection ever since. Correspondence between Sonia and Nanette reveals a friendship between the two women. In a letter dated February 1959, Sonia updates Nanette on some of her upcoming exhibitions and projects, and describes having met one of Nanette’s daughters. “She has the seriousness of a young European girl, and a lot of charm, and from what I could see a lot of talent,” wrote Sonia. “I hope to see you soon in Paris with your husband.”