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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.

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Description of Circular Forms (Formes circulaires), 1930

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Narrator: Created by Albert Gleizes in 1942, "Painting for Contemplation, Dominant Rose and Green" is a larger-than-life abstract rectangular painting about 7 feet tall by almost 4 1/2 feet wide. It is made of oil on burlap. As alluded to by the painting’s title, various hues of rose and green dominate its color palate. Its composition is roughly divided into quadrants of color. Clockwise from the upper left, colors transition from sea green to moss, to rosy pink, to periwinkle blue. At the center sits a roughly defined segment of pale pink.  

The overall composition is fragmented into various geometric shapes: straight-edged polygons appear near the edges, and toward the middle there are circular and oval forms and triangles with curved sides. The forms vary in their shades of color, from light pastels to deep mid-tones. The shapes often seem to overlap and intersect, especially where the quadrants meet and neighboring colors touch. 

A black dot, centered in the middle of the composition, stands out against the rest of the work’s muted colors. Moving outward, subtle circular outlines radiate from the dot toward the edges of the canvas, each subsequent outline morphing into long ovals that eventually end in a tall, rounded rectangle, mirroring the shape of the canvas itself. A subtle gray-blue dot sits to the upper right of the central black dot. Circles radiate outward here as well, soon intersecting and then merging into one unified set of radiating outlines. Color also adds to this sense of outward expansion, as the dark outer quadrants seem to recede from the foregrounded light pink center.  

The composition contains a diagonal sense of movement as well. The edges of some fragmented shapes align with their neighbor’s to form an impression of continuous lines that proceed from bottom left to upper right across the artwork. Throughout the painting, clusters of four to seven short parallel lines follow this same diagonal direction.  

While the composition is abstract, its forms, colors, and sense of movement suggest representational subjects. The composition’s blue base and upper green sections could reference the natural world—water and foliage. And its pink tones could allude to flesh. The central dots and their radiating outlines reference two abstracted human figures in an embrace— a gently curved line at bottom right indicating a cradled arm, ending with a cluster of short parallel lines for a hand and fingers. 

Gleizes, a Catholic, was committed to Christianity, leading him to produce spiritually inspired work. "Painting for Contemplation" may reference the spiritual act of contemplation in front of an altar or shrine, here featuring a depiction of the Madonna and child.

Description of Painting for Contemplation, Dominant Rose and Green, 1942

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Narrator: "Broken Forms" by Franz Marc is a rectangular oil-on-canvas painting from 1914. It is about 3 1/2 feet tall by nearly 3 feet wide. The dynamic abstract composition features colorful shapes that are intersected by a large dark and angular form. 

This painting’s colors are strong and include shades of tomato red, mustard yellow, emerald green, and cerulean blue. They gently encircle the composition in soft curving, swirling, and hooked forms, which are intermixed and sometimes combined with vertical and diagonal geometric shapes.  

A dark form protrudes diagonally from just above the bottom-left corner of the composition and extends to its upper right. It is a tall rectangular form, and at its top is a left-facing swirl or hook that resembles a bass clef or the scroll atop a cello’s neck. The form is dark, mainly a mixture of blues and black, making it stand in great contrast to the colorful surroundings. Its sloped angle amid the background’s upright shapes gives a sense that it’s leaning over.  

Just under the dark form sits the center of the composition. Here, the colors seem to blend and lighten into a dusky rose haze with translucent pale yellow bubbles that dissipate within the surrounding well-defined shapes.  

The geometric and organic elements of the composition appear to layer over and under each other. Fluffy brushstrokes at the edges of the dusky rose haze give the impression that this cloudy area hovers over wide yellow vertical stripes that are in the background. Similarly, the crisp edge of the dark form gives the impression that it hovers over the haze. A skipping brushstroke extends down the center of the composition, its vibrant orange paint dragging on top of the dark form, perhaps like the glow of a spotlight. Some shapes’ edges are thinly highlighted with quickly applied white paint in a scumbled technique, producing a shiny three-dimensional effect. 

On close inspection, the painting’s surface is textured, adding a sense of movement and dimensionality to the work. Brushstrokes twirl to form circles that cluster in the central haze and in other places sweep to form curving shapes and edges. In some areas, colors are layered atop each other with hints of underpainting uncovered at the edges, forming a halo effect. In other areas, diluted washes of paint thinly veil the underpainting.

Description of Broken Forms (Zerbrochene Formen), 1914

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Narrator: Morgan Russell’s "Four Part Synchromy, Number 7," made from 1914 to 1915, consists of four small oil paintings on paperboard and canvas, mounted into a vertical rectangle on plywood. It is almost 1 1/2 feet tall and 1 foot wide. Its title refers to the early 20th-century artistic movement called Synchromism, a term that means “with color” and plays on the words “symphony” and “synchrony”—allusions to music and simultaneity.  

The four paintings, each tall and rectangular, join to form a unified rectangular composition divided into quadrants. Overall, vibrantly colored geometric shapes group together among a field of bright cobalt blue. The shapes include curved forms and straight-sided polygons that seem to overlap. There are rust red, black, plum, brown, gray, and evergreen shades that recede in contrast to brighter whites, light dusty peaches, grassy greens, teals, and vibrant yellows and siennas.  

While visually unified, each canvas differs in its specific shapes, colors, and overall composition.  The two left canvases are filled with shapes, while the two right canvases reveal more of the cobalt blue background.  The upper two canvases feature softer pastels, while the bottom canvases feature deeper shades and black tones. The shapes in the upper right canvas are straight sided. Moving counterclockwise into the other canvases, the shapes are progressively softer with curves and arcs. Reaching the final lower right canvas, circles are layered among the other straight-sided shapes. Together, the shapes seem to assemble into larger three-dimensional pyramids and other polygons, giving an overall sense of twisting and turning throughout the composition. 

The shapes are delineated by varying textures. Wide brushstrokes indicate the daubs and directions of the artist’s hand. It is apparent that the paint was applied in layers. In some areas, the shapes are vaguely transparent, gently veiling other hues that were painted beneath. These underlayers are also revealed where adjacent shapes are separated by small gaps.  

"Four Part Synchromy, Number 7" refers to Russell’s interest in the composer Ludwig van Beethoven, and in loosely transposing musical concepts into painting. The four small canvases create an ensemble of harmonic abstraction and gesture to parts of a symphonic piece.

Description of Four Part Synchromy, Number 7, 1914-15

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Narrator: Alexander Archipenko’s "Carrousel Pierrot," from 1913, is a painted plaster sculpture nearly 2 feet tall with a rectangular base around 2 feet wide by 1 foot deep. Brightly colored three-dimensional geometric shapes are assembled into an abstract human figure. The figure’s torso leans forward, and its legs are spread apart widely as if taking a large step.  

The sculpture is made of roughly geometric forms that bend and curve—including a cone, spheres, cylindrical shapes, and irregular three-dimensional blocks. The figure stands atop a rectangular base with a sloping, undulating surface. These forms are all painted in cheery, bright colors: fire-truck red, mustard yellow, bubble-gum pink, grass green, sky blue, cream, and black. Generally, the planes of each shape are composed of alternating solid colors, separated by straight lines, some curving. 

A small sphere sits atop the sculpture, forming the figure’s head. The top of the sphere is painted cream and black while its face is painted a solid brick red. The small head rests on a large downward-pointing cone, forming the figure’s torso. The top of this conical torso is a flat circle about four times the diameter of the sphere, so the head seems to poke out from a playfully wide yellow collar. Gently curving arms are attached to the cone, which narrows downward to the figure’s waist. Colorful vertical stripes on the torso taper with the cone, forming triangular shapes alternating in emerald green, brick red, sky blue, and black.  

Long, slightly curving legs extend from the base of the cone. Other elements are adjacent to the figure. For example, a second sphere, painted sky blue, seems to hover in front of the figure’s torso; its edge is attached to the conical torso. A curving cross-shaped form extends from the figure’s right arm and rests beside the figure. Looking closely, one can read two words painted on a mustard plane of the arm: venez rire, or “come and laugh.”  

The entire sculpture is solid yet light, with parts that seem to be in movement or suspension, especially as we move around the work and experience it from all sides. Its forms have a softness to them with rounded and dented edges. Overall, the sculpture has a handmade quality. Textured brushstrokes are visible, and some parts of the glossy paint are cracked or flaking.   

This subject of this sculpture is the sad clown Pierrot, typically presented as an all-white figure. Inspired by a festival where “dozens of carousels with horses, swings, gondolas, and airplanes imitate the rotation of the earth,” Pierrot’s body evokes the dizzying feeling of spinning., The repeating colors and clown’s circular torso – like an upside-down tented carousel – combines velocity with the thrills of modern entertainment.

Description of Carrousel Pierrot, 1913

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Narrator: "Paris Through the Window" by Marc Chagall is an oil-on-canvas painting from 1913 that is about 4 1/2 feet square. 

Two stylized figures — one a double-faced human head and pair of shoulders and the other a human-faced cat — face each other in profile along the bottom of the composition. The human figure sits in the bottom right corner; it faces the cat to its left and is unnaturally blue in color.  Both figures appear in the foreground, close to the viewer, and sit in front of a busy scene. 

Behind them, a city skyline stretches across the composition’s center line, filling its middle ground. Here, multistory buildings are simply outlined in thin plum-colored lines with tiny daubs and strokes of paint that indicate windows, roofs, and other architectural features. A thin tower stretches all the way up the right side of the composition. It tapers as it rises, and its top is not visible—it seems to extend beyond the canvas. An arched opening at its base suggests that it is Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower, which is confirmed by the work’s title. The tower’s imposing scale perhaps expresses the artist’s reverence for it as a symbol of the city’s modernity. 

In this middle ground, a wide ivory stripe near the composition’s bottom right stretches diagonally to the upper left. The stripe runs behind the blue-faced figure, crosses behind the cat, passes through the cityscape, and cuts across the sky above. It roughly divides the square composition into lower-left and upper-right triangular segments as its light color severs through the otherwise muted beige background. The stripe seems to illuminate everything in its path like the beam of a spotlight, and subjects outside of its path remain muted as if sitting in shadow.  

To the left of the cat figure, a multicolor window frame extends upward from the foreground to fill the composition. Its eight panes are arranged in two columns, and the frame is red at its base, transitioning upward to yellow, green, and then blue.  

The work’s title suggests this is an interior scene, and through this window lies the Parisian skyline. Under the window appears the backrest of a chair, and tiny daubs of white, red, yellow, blue, and deep green paint suggest that bunched flowers are placed on the seat, which itself is below the bottom of the canvas and not visible. At the base of the window, a ledge runs to the right edge of the composition. Here, the cat sits. 

On closer inspection, the unusual figures are joined by other dreamlike elements throughout the painting. For instance, the figure with the blue face holds in its mouth a small purple flower. Under, a blue hand is lifted at the figure’s chest. In its palm rests an ochre heart.  

Out in the city, at the base of the Eiffel Tower, two small dark figures appear to stand horizontally, as if rotated against gravity. One is dressed in a suit and holds a cane. The other wears a dress, and both don hats. Near the top right of the Eiffel Tower, another person appears to float in the sky. This figure’s arms are outstretched and hold onto the corners of a triangular shaped parachute above its head.  

Behind this figure stretches another bright beam. It begins in the painting’s top-right corner and widens until it fades behind the tower. The beam is blue at its top and transitions to white and then to red, like the colors of the French flag.  

Through the bottom windowpanes, situated in the dark, shadowy area of the skyline, are a string of train cars. Strangely, they are upside-down, and smoke puffs downward out of the smokestack of one car.

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Description of Paris through the Window (Paris par la fenêtre), 1913

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Narrator: Sonia Delaunay’s "Toy Box," from 1913, is a sculpture made of wood and painted with acrylic. Its body is a rectangular box around 8 inches tall, 14 inches wide, and 9 inches deep. It has an upper lid that is hinged on one of its long sides. The lid gently rises in the middle to form a barrel-shape with an arching crest along the two shorter sides. 

Brightly painted playful geometric shapes cover the entire surface. They include rectangles, triangles, quadrilaterals and other multisided polygons, as well as stripes of varying thicknesses. The shapes are oriented in different directions and some of their edges seem to overlap as if layered. Each shape is a single color, saturated yet muted. The box primarily features tomato red, cantaloupe orange, mustard yellow, navy, and mint green, and there are touches of blush, butter yellow, slate blue, toffee, mahogany, black, and creamy white.  

The paint has been applied to the surface in layers. Throughout the box, the top layer has chipped away to reveal speckles of an underlayer in cantaloupe orange. At some places along the sculpture’s edges, the paint has completely worn away to reveal its wooden form and the tiny nails that hold it together. In some areas, the blocks of color are vaguely transparent, gently veiling the orange color beneath. Wide brush strokes are often visible, indicating the daubs and directions of the artist’s hand. 

On close inspection, a few unique shapes on the box stand out because they suggest stylized representative forms, rather than abstract elements. On the top of the lid, a dark circle outlined thinly in red sits near one corner. The circle’s center is divided into three segments: One quarter is white, another quarter is black, and the remaining half is brown. There are other brown, white, and black circles on the lid: one bordered with a crescent shape at its edge; one with stripes beaming from it like rays, and one uniformly dotted in white. These represent cosmic forms such as moons, suns, and stars. These dark tones seem to recede within the brighter, colorful surroundings.  

Also on the top of the lid, a brown square sits tilted at an angle with a red triangle projecting from one side. This form is a simple building with a gabled roof. Nearby, a subtle brown arrow extends from one of the lid’s edges, indicating how the box opens. On the box’s sides, other shapes are possibly representational, such as a simplified windmill, a tree, and streetlights.  

Just beneath the lid, a thin horizontal stripe of blue runs along the box’s four sides, and a similar stripe runs along the base in tomato red and black. The lid’s four sides are painted with side-by-side blocks of color in cantaloupe orange, tomato red, creamy white, navy, and black. The blocks vary in width and height, getting taller where the lid arches upward on its two shorter edges. 

Adapted from Caitlin Glosser’s essay “Sonia Delaunay: Simultaneity Freed from Painting”, Delaunay produced work in diverse materials, including this wooden toy box, regardless of their perceived value. She explained, “[T]he true beauty of an object is not an effect of taste but is intimately tied to its function.”

Description of Toy Box (Coffret à jouets), 1913

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Narrator: "Red Eiffel Tower" by Robert Delaunay is a rectangular oil-on-canvas painting from 1911 that measures about 4 feet tall by 3 feet wide. Its primary subject is an abstracted view of the iconic Eiffel Tower. It’s rendered, unusually, in a vermillion, or Venetian red, reflecting the structure’s appearance during the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris.  

The tower extends the entire height of the composition. It tapers skyward until its peak disappears, seeming to continue above the canvas. The structure is widest near the composition’s bottom, where the tower’s base stretches across the left side to just right of center. Here, two broad legs meet to form a wide arc supporting the upper structure, like pillars of a bridge. The body of the legs and the pointed tower above do not seem solid; instead, they are composed of beams, intertwined like triangular latticework or crosshatch marks. These relatively thin intersecting lines give an airy impression to the structure despite its substantial form.  

The entire composition has an unconventionally stylized three-dimensional appearance because of its geometric shapes, angular lines, and varying shades of color. For instance, the tower’s legs are quadrilateral columns, yet do not follow the typical rules of three-dimensional visual perspective, in which lines are directed toward one or more shared vanishing points. Rather, the right leg is oriented as if we were looking directly at its corner, able to see two of its planes. The left leg, however, is oriented straight-on, as if we were standing directly in front of the structure, seeing its face as only one plane. This illogical and unpredictable three-dimensionality may give an impression of moving around the tower, as if we were seeing it from many angles at once. Or the tower itself may be moving, its two front legs twisting toward each other or even taking uneven, lumbering steps. The two rear legs are suggested by similarly unrealistic lines and shapes in softer shades of red, seemingly layered behind the front legs.  

The artist’s use of color adds to the composition’s dynamic sense of depth. The vibrant red structure seems foregrounded against a muted, mosaic-like arrangement of gray, beige, and blue geometric forms that fill the rest of the canvas. Each shape contains gradations of color from light to dark, distinguishing them from similarly colored adjacent shapes.   

On close inspection, this geometric background is in fact an abstract cityscape. Small, vertical rectangles in gray and blue seem to sit in the farthest recess of the background near its right edge—perhaps a skyline of multistory buildings. White and gray clusters of soft curving shapes may represent amorphous clouds or puffs of smoke, floating in front of and behind the tower. Arching toward the tower from the composition’s bottom right, a set of wide beige and gray stripes suggest a pathway to the structure. Similar curved stripes are echoed in both upper corners of the composition, where they drop down and bend outward, off the canvas’s sides. These curved stripes, which are shades of gray on the left and varied tones of blue on the right, could indicate draped folds of window curtains. 

This painting is the artist’s first in a series depicting the Eiffel Tower and its surroundings as if seen through curtained windows. As poet Blaise Cendrars explained, “[Delaunay] disarticulated the Tower . . . to get inside its structure. He truncated it and he tilted it . . . to disclose all of its three hundred dizzying meters of height.”

Description of Red Eiffel Tower (La Tour rouge), 1911–12

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Narrator: This oil-on-canvas painting by František Kupka from 1912 to 1913 is titled "Localization of Graphic Motifs II." The nonrepresentational composition, measuring about six-and-a-half feet square, is full of repeating forms. The colors blue, grass green, violet pink, and red orange stand out as they recur and diminish across the canvas, creating a visually deep space that recalls a room of mirrors. At the painting’s center is a large white triangular space around which the colorful, stacked, repeating forms seem to twist, almost like a whirlpool or fractal. The lines and forms are rendered with soft brushstrokes applied softly back-and-forth, producing the impression that waves of color are pulsing or vibrating.  

Kupka was interested in capturing dynamism. The painting contains a sense of movement and grandiosity with these centripetal forms whirling inside it. Kupka spoke about the fragmentary nature of sensory information, and a painting like this suggests the binocular structure of vision, presenting staccato moments over time, as in cinema or stop-motion videos.  

Kupka called his vibrating lines “stereoscopic bridges”—markings that guide sight and the perception of depth. Through streaming waves of color that appear to emerge out of and converge in the pictorial space, he investigated the science of vision, optics, and energy. Upending painting’s static nature, Kupka embraced the experiential aspect of the image.

Description of Localization of Graphic Motifs II (Localisations de mobiles graphiques II), 1912-13

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Narrator: "Edtaonisl (Ecclesiastic)" by Francis Picabia is an oil-on-canvas painting from 1913 that measures about 10 feet square. The work features shapes in a cacophony of bold colors that form a dynamic abstract composition and convey three-dimensionality and movement.  

Black tones command the painting’s grand, larger-than-life scale. Deep black shapes seem to recede as if layered beneath the brighter, more vibrant shapes that rhythmically fill the rest of the composition. Each shape is cleanly defined. Many are geometric polygons with hard, straight edges. These are painted gold, rust, vibrant grape purple, ocean blue, gray, and white. The colors within each shape are not uniform but rather fade from deep vibrant shades into lighter, whiter, and more opaque tones. This color play adds to the work’s dynamic sense of layering, depth, and movement. 

Many shapes also feature one or more organically curved edges. For instance, a rust-colored shape slightly below left of center is defined by a straight, hard line on its right side. The line is oriented diagonally, as if pointing from the bottom left of the canvas toward the top right. The shape’s left edge is organic—a curved line bows out from its bottom and tapers as it moves upward.  

A few striking and unusual shapes in the work convey a sense of three-dimensional movement. Near the upper left, layering of purple shapes may suggest that they are floating in space like falling paper confetti. Near the right of the composition’s center, a black corkscrew begins to curve in a clockwise direction while simultaneously descending. It completes one full circle while its gently winding tail drops.  

Near the composition’s center sits a white boomerang shape. Other white shapes cluster in this area. Two circles seem to be layered, one slightly offset from the other. Two columns, not straight but gently bowing to the left, drop from the boomerang shape. At the columns’ bottoms, there is a small shape that tilts slightly to the upper left of the canvas. 

The artist, Picabia, was preoccupied with bodies in motion, and these dynamic white forms represent the head, body, legs, and feet of a dancing figure. The title of the painting, written lightly at the upper right edge of the canvas, is nonsensical in French but acts as a quasi-anagram of étoil[e] and dans[e], meaning “star” and “dancer”. It references the dancer and film star Stacia Napierkowska who Picabia encountered during a performance aboard an ocean liner. Her figure moves amongst the angular metallic grey and undulating blue shapes representing the ship and movements of the ocean. The subtitle, "Ecclesiastic," points to a priest the artist once spotted intently observing dancers, perhaps represented in the painting by vibrant purple.

Description of Edtaonisl (Ecclesiastic) (Edtaonisl [Ecclésiastique]), 1913

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New tracks tagged #Harmony and Dissonance: Orphism in Paris 1910–1930