SONIA
DELAUNAY
“COMPOSITIONS, COULEURS, IDEES”
Paris,
c. 1930, Editions D’Art, Charles Moreau
The
original portfolio contained 40 pochoir
plates, each measuring 9 5/8” x 12
5/8”, in decorated board covers with
side ribbon tie. (A pochoir print is a hand
coloured stencil process which was popular
in France in the 20’s and 30’s,
but today is virtually a lost art.) The
portfolios were issued in a limited number,
however the exact number is unknown. They
were done by Sonia Delaunay (Terk) during
the period when she was teaching at the
Sorbonne and frequently were an inspiration
for textile and weaving commissions. These
plates are very collectable and rarely seen
on the market.. Twelve plates are illustrated
here for sale. Others are available and
can be shown on request.
BIOGRAPHICAL
INFORMATION
Sonia,
while less known in the art world during the
lifetime of her husband, Robert Delaunay,
a well-known Cubist colourist, was a pioneer
in her own right in the field of colour theory
and design during the early days of Modernism
from about 1920-1930. She worked with and
knew personally many of the great artists
of the day such as Leger and the poet, Blaise
Cendrars. In 1918, she designed scarves for
the Diaghilev ballet and during this period
she became a founding member of the Orphists
group of artists in Paris, a group which explored
the dynamism of “simultaneous contrast
of colours” resulting in vibrant designs
charged with light and motion.
In
1925, she exhibited her “simultaneous”
designs at the Paris International Exposition
of Decorative Arts and even the notorious
American socialite Nancy Cunard, sported
Delaunay designed fashions. The colours
are vibrant and bold for the 1920’s
and place her among the avant garde of her
day.
Sonia
went on to live a rich and productive life
producing artwork, including full scale
paintings as well as her textile designs,
illustrating books and even designing a
pattern for painting an entire automobile
in her style. A major retrospective of her
work in Los Angeles in 1986 once again called
attention to her very substantial contribution
to contemporary art, especially abstract
painting.
|
