A modern artist that I recently learned about is Robert Delaunay. He was a French artist, who gained some popularity through association with the Blue Riders (one of the two movements in German Expressionism). One of the features that really stuck out to me about Delaunay was his use of bright colors and funky shapes. Some of his works even remind me of Matisse (but with a little twist).

Two of his artworks that really intrigued me were La Tour Eiffel made in 1910, and La Tour Eiffel rouge (Champs de Mars. La Tour rouge) made in 1911.

Both of these works are about the Eiffel tower. Delaunay actually created many other works on the Eiffel tower as well. This could possibly be because he came from France, and the Eiffel tower may have be significant to him.

To begin, Robert and his wife, Sonia, both created works that were categorized as Orphic Cubism. This form of cubism tends to have abstraction and bright colors. And, in some cases, this form of cubism can make artwork appear musical and rhythmic. It’s a very complicated concept, as are most of the 19th and 20th century art movements. However, these types of art movements make up the art world, they show the brilliance of artists, and they show artist’s ability to execute these art styles.

Even though these artworks are only a year apart, they show drastic changes. For one, the colors change from dark tones to slightly purer colors. Yet, there is still some hints of dark tones in the 1911, showing that Delaunay is just starting to experiment with color. Also, Delaunay starts to incorporate abstraction into his work. For instance, looking at the background of the 1911 image, it’s difficult to tell what is occurring. While in the 1910 one, one can see that the background is a bunch of clouds.