Synopses & Reviews
In an inspired burst of activity from 1909 to 1914, French artist Robert Delaunay (1885-1941) created a body of work that was among the most visionary to come out of Paris in the early 20th century. Delaunay developed a new aesthetic of abstraction in his pursuit of "pure painting" by synthesizing the Impressionist tradition of series painting and the contemporary language of Cubism. His paintings of the church of Saint-Severin, the Eiffel Tower, and window views of Paris celebrate the rhythms and locales of an urban milieu. This book, which accompanies an exhibition organized by the Guggenheim Museum, is the first to focus on these series of paintings and drawings, which established Delaunay as a major artist. The book includes a selection of writings by the artist as well as poems -- by Guillaume Apollinaire, Blaise Cendrars, Louis Aragon, and Vincente Huidobro -- that were inspired by Delaunay's art.