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How These Avant-Garde Artists Pioneered a New Art Movement
Vibrant visions by Sonia & Robert Delaunay
Artistic couples are rare in the history of art, and when they do occur their relationship can often be one of envy and rivalry.
But Sonia and Robert Delaunay were different, and emerged as one of the most remarkable artistic duos at the turn of the 20th century. Initially honing distinct creative styles, their art fed one another to produce a bright and exuberant record of their experiences of the modern world.
Their work was characterised by striking, contrasting colours and animated geometric shapes, motivated by the tempo and dynamism of state-of-the-art urban existence.
Together they painted nothing less than the arrival of the modern era, portraying aeroplane flight, radio communication and the power of electricity in innovative and radical forms.
The Union of Sonia and Robert
In early 1909, Russian-born Sonia Terk met Robert Delaunay in Paris. At the time Sonia was married to an art dealer named Wilhelm Uhde, one of the first collectors of Cubist paintings. It’s thought it was a marriage of convenience rather than love as a cover for Uhde’s homosexuality.
