The audio tour for John Chamberlain: Choices shares perspectives on select key works from the exhibition.
www.guggenheim.org/chamberlain

Exhibition Website

John Chamberlain's Involvement with Abstract Expressionism

Access a slow-looking exercise of this work.

Transcript
Narrator: "Circular Forms" by Robert Delaunay is an abstract oil painting on a canvas about 4 feet tall by just over 6 feet wide. Made in 1930, it has bold, bright colors, and its composition is dominated by two circular forms. One form is on the right half and the other is on the left. Both are comprised of about nine concentric rings.  

The right circle is dynamic: Pops of golden yellows, burnt oranges, rust, sapphire blues, navies, and moss greens contrast with lighter colors, including sky blues, pastel pinks, soft yellows, and sea greens. The left circle is softer, composed of more consistent and harmonious lighter colors: sky blues, pastel pinks, soft yellows, and sea greens. The left circle sits slightly higher than the right one, as if floating in its lightness. Both forms’ concentric rings seem to continue radiating beyond the bounds of the canvas. 

The dynamism of the right circle is enhanced by a sense of movement toward its center. The circle is divided into eighths, forming slices of equal size that taper to a point at the center like segments of a citrus fruit or spokes of a wagon wheel. The slices are striped in arcs— a pattern formed by the circle’s concentric rings. Each arc is a different color than its neighbor; thus, each slice has a unique color pattern. When side-by-side, these interplaying fields of color delineate one slice from the next producing an impression that continuous lines bisect the circle. One slice, for instance, contains yellow at its outermost arc, and moving inward, changes to blue, then gold, pink, green, and yellow. The neighboring slice stands in contrast, from gold, to orange, yellow, orange, and then blue at its innermost arc. The colors typically deepen as they approach the center of the circular form, and as a result the center seems to recede. 

There are some dynamic irregularities within the right circular form that interrupt its otherwise predictable arrangement. For instance, its central rings are offset between its left and right halves, revealing that the concentric circles are imperfect in their orientation. Additionally, the form is punctuated by several smaller circular forms. These smaller circles are similarly sliced into halves or quadrants of deep azures, burnt oranges, and navies, whose forms and colors stand out against the vibrant and orderly arrangement of the larger circle. Some of these smaller circles have a concentric ring of their own, like a colorful halo. Adding to the dynamism, the surface of this half of the painting is heavily textured. The opaque paint is applied thickly with a palate knife or fingers, and appears to be roughly mixed on the canvas, giving each color field variation in tone. 

The left circular form is calm in comparison to the right’s dynamic sense of movement. Rather than divided into many segments, its rings in their softer colors run more continuously and harmoniously. Its center is not perfectly round; it is slightly eye-shaped and tilted downward to the left. As a result, its concentric rings are elliptical closest to the center and become more rounded as they expand outward. One outer ring seems offset from the rest, lending a soft spiraling or spinning effect. Two smaller circles are painted in slightly darker shades and sit at both corners of the central eye shape.  

The overall composition of this painting may give an impression of two spinning galaxies colliding. It is one of a series of “circular form” paintings, instigated by Delaunay’s observations of planets, stars, and movements of airplane propellers. The composition recalls a kaleidoscope, exploring how the eye takes in different juxtaposed hues and, ultimately, their overall interaction in a composition.

Orphism - Verbal Descriptions

Description of Circular Forms (Formes circulaires), 1930

As part of the Guggenheim Museum’s Summer of Know series, artist Ad Minoliti and activist Adam Werner discussed social and artistic responsibility, and building community on digital platforms, with moderation by X Zhu-Nowell, Assistant Curator at the Guggenheim Museum.

Photo: Ed Marshall

Archivo de la Memoria Trans
https://archivodelamemoriatrans.tumblr.com/

Queer Ancestors Project
https://www.queerancestorsproject.org/

The Feminist School of Painting
http://fschool.kadist.org/

Cromoactivismo
https://www.facebook.com/Cromoactivismo-1430319627007557/

Campaña Nacional por el Derecho al Aborto Legal Seguro y Gratuito
http://www.abortolegal.com.ar/

Summer of Know

Conversation: Ad Minoliti and Adam Werner (2019)

Listen to audio about exhibitions and artworks at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Frank Lloyd Wright's landmark building is home to a collection of modern and contemporary masterpieces.

Description of Circular Forms (Formes circulaires), 1930

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

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