Delaunay Robert - The Eiffel Tower

Robert Delaunay (1885-1941), a French artist famous for his use of strong colours and geometric shapes, with his wife Sonia and others, created the Orphist movement, based on the law of colour contrasts developing over time and perceived simultaneously. An emblem of modernity, the metal tower built by Gustave Eiffel in 1889 fascinates Delaunay and runs through his entire work. After having disarticulated it in a major Cubist series in the early 1910s, the artist magnifies the Eiffel Tower in a range of flamboyant colours highlighted by a powerful low-angle effect, often adopted by photographers of the time. The openwork frame of the building soars like a bridge to the sky. The colours of the geometric flat areas with which the tower is covered give this painting a strong decorative look.

© Centre Pompidou 2011