

Point to each color in Delaunay’s painting. As you label the colors with a beat, display the beats on a board for students to read easily. For example: two beats = red, four beats = black, etc. To do so, as a class, assign a number to beats for each of the colors within Delaunay’s painting. What music would they hear? Can they hum or drum the beat?Īs a class, create a rhythmic song inspired by the elements in Colored Rhythm. Ask students to imagine they can jump inside the artwork.

After studying the work, they can identify key features of Delaunay’s painting, including color and shape. According to Chevreul’s color theory, “when complementary colors are juxtaposed, each appears to be more intense than when seen in isolation.”Īccording to the artist, Orphism, “disengaged color from all its foreign elements and it became means of expression, like pure notes in music and words in poetry.” For a fun activity to support class discussion and visual literacy, students can create a rhythmic song based on Delaunay’s artwork.ĭuring a discussion, students can view the different elements of the work. Delaunay’s use of complementary colors enhances her shapes, creating a vivid composition. Each shape has soft edges and is slightly different. These shapes are arranged in patterns along diagonal lines on a dark background. About the ArtĬolored Rhythm, 1958, consists of colorful and geometric shapes, including triangles, semicircles, and squares. In 1964, she became the first living female artist to have a retrospective exhibition at the Louvre. She even painted several famous French sports cars as accessories to her textile and clothing designs.

Delaunay continued with her career after her husband’s death in 1941. She later entered the fashion business, drawing inspiration from her artwork to create clothing and textiles, and also practiced interior design. In need of added income to support her artmaking, the artist began designing costumes for plays. In reflecting on the Orphism movement, Delaunay stated, “We disengaged color from all its foreign elements and it became a means of expression, pure like notes in music and words in poetry.” Her geometric abstractions (art based on the use of geometric shapes) contained vivid color and bold pattern. The use of color theory, inspired by writings by nineteenth-century French dye chemist Eugène Chevreul, is a major component of Delaunay’s work. The movement combined Cubist geometric shapes with strong color. Together Robert and Sonia pursued the study of color and cofounded the Orphism art movement. While attending art classes in Germany and Paris, she met various artists, including her future husband, artist Robert Delaunay. Sonia Delaunay was exposed to music and art at a young age.
