Groups 3 and 6 David Sequeira Cubism and Expressionism Gallery

Sonia Delaunay DUBONNET 1914.

 Look at the work for a minute or so in silence.  COLOUR (our eye follows the colours) and MOVEMENT.  Largely secondary colours – (plum) red . Blue (ultramarine) . Yellow (mustardy) . Subtle contrasts . Rainbow palette . Appear to be spontaneous but carefully organised and balanced. e.g. red  Geometry in the movement – circular but last quarter is different in colour and shape giving a fixed or static feel.  “O” drops down, D and B also move. The “U” is like a wineglass (full). Two “N”s are Russian(?)  Painting is joyful, happy, carefree (and yet so careful and contrived) celebratory, a sense of kicking up the heels. It is also hopeful, energetic, creating a feeling of change and excitement.  The word Dubonnet is rhythmic. The jingle for the drink was Du beau, du bon, dubonnet……..  We do not really need to know what the word means as it is not really the focus. The painting is not a poster but it may well be an advertisement for the Delaunay’s studio itself – Aetelier “Simultane” which they established. They were intrigued by the notion of simultaneity – esp. of colours and the effects achieved. (Seurat and mixed colours).  Friends and colleagues created the Orphism movement around them but they did not accept this label.  Sonia came to Paris from Russia in 1905 as a young woman still in her teens. She had been brought up by a wealthy Uncle in St.Petersburg. In 1908 she made a marriage of convenience to a gay art dealer, Wilhem Uhde, who introduced her to “everyone” in the avant garde. Once she met Robert in 1909 it was LOVE and they stayed together for the rest of their lives (R. died in the 1940s and S. in 1979). Sonia was divorced from Uhde in 1910 and her son Charles was born 2 months later in 1911. Sonia made a quilt for the baby, using a rich array of sensuous fabrics - velvet, satin, voile, tulle…. Historians have seen this as a turning point for S. and she went on to design fabrics and clothes (starting with clothes for she and R.) later establishing 2 boutiques in London and Paris. She also continued to paint and design (including for the Ballet Russes) until she died at a great age. She collaborated with the poet (?) on the TransSiberian poem shich we have in the NGA collection. She and R remained deeply in love and were friends with the Arps who also remained a monogamous couple cf Picasso!  This painting was originally a raw canvas with a suggestion of a (painted) frame at the edge. It has a handmade quality about it. The paint is muted and chalky and tactile. Now in a white box for conservation purposes. The work is very fragile and has been somewhat damaged over the years.  1914 is a time of frantic change and excitement (Eiffel Tower is just 15 years old, electric street lighting etc etc). This work captures much of the period.  CONTEXT. Examine its place in the room. Hangs next to the Malevich House Under Construction 1915. This work is deliberate, precise, controlled, pared back, austere by comparison NB the soft edges of Dubonnet. The 2 Picassos (from the same year – 1937) hang nearby. Cubism gives us a variety of realities. Dubonnet gives us subtle contrasts. You could also mention the Sternbergs sculpture – an example of constructivism using industrial materials with architectural design – balance, shadow, art for an industrial age…..  The painting is about colour, geometric shapes, movement and contrasts. So, this work is great to use in terms of colour and shape. It could also be used in the context of early 20thC. Art, or in the period of WW1 (1914).