RIHA Journal 0182 | 20 November 2017 HOMAGE TO DYNAMISM: A CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF THE ICONOGRAPHY OF THE MACHINE CULT IN ORPHISM Dragan Tasić Faculty of Arts and Des !n, Jo#n Na sb tt Un vers ty, Bel!rade Abstract &ne of t#e trends n t#e early days of 'ub sm" &r(# sm was a style of (a nt n! t#at evolved n *ar s dur n! t#e (er od between 1911 and 1914. .#e or(# sts re/ected t#e r ! d (r nc (les of a non0abstract art and returned to 1(ure color2 ) t# t#e (ur(ose of commun cat n! t#e r ntense en/oyment- .#ey were mbued ) t# t#e ne) s( r t and fasc nated by t#e tec#nolo! cal (ro!ress of t#e modern world- Robert Delaunay’s Homa!e to %l4r ot was (a nted n a state of extreme s( r tual #a(( ness" re6ect n! t#e )#ole atmos(#ere of t#e t mes- It s a test mony to t#e s7 lls of t#e a r(lane constructors 8 t#e ne) #eroes of a modern e( c fantasy- 9orld 9ar I" #owever" s(elled t#e end of t#e ent#us asm and o(t m sm of t#e mac# ne a!e- :1; <oo7 n! from our vanta!e (o nt today, t s not d =cult to see t#at Robert Delaunay’s (a nt n! Homa!e to %l4r ot (F !- 1) mar7ed t#e end of &r(# sm or &r(# c 'ub sm-1 Furt#ermore" %l4r ot a((ears to #ave mar7ed a s !n @cant waters#ed n ts own r !#t" s !n fyin! not t#e be! nn n!" but rat#er t#e culm nat on of an e5ce(t onal e(oc# n t#e Auro(ean (ast- .# s wor7 summar Bes t#e e5(er ence of ts aut#or and t#e or(# sts n t#e r Cuest for a subl me (oet cs of modern ty, bear n! test mony to t#e ne) s( r t as a (roduct of ts era and a 1 D r! n a E(ate" &r(# smF .#e Avolut on of Non-F !urat ve *a nt n! n *ar s, 1+10–1+1," &5ford 1+7+ >) t# b bl o!ra(#y?- Delaunay e5ecuted several (a nt n!s, dra) n!s and sketches on t#e sub/ect" t#e most famous of )# ch be n! t#e monumental version no) n t#e Gunstmuseum %asel and t#e o l on canvas n t#e Husée de Irenoble- Eee also FranB Heyer" "Robert Delaunay" Homma!e K %l4r ot" 1+1,J" nF Ja#resber cht der LMentl chen Gunstsammlun! %asel 1+N2" N7-78O Iustav Dr esen and Ha5 Imda#l" Robert DelaunayF < !#t and 'olor" trans. H- *el 7an" Ne) Por7 1+N+ >Q 1+R7?O %ernard Dor val" Robert Delaunay 188R-1+,1" *ar s and %russels 1+7RO E#erry A- %uckberrou!#" Robert DelaunayF .#e D scovery of E multane ty" Ann Arbor" HI 1+82O Robert Delaunay" 1+0N-1+1,- De lS m(ressionn sme K lSabstract on" ed- *ascal Rousseau" e5#- cat-" *ar s 1+++O Iordon Hu!#es, 1Anv sion n! Abstract onF .#e E multane ty of Robert Delaunay3s F rst Disk2" nF .#e Art %ullet n 8+" no- 2 >2007?" T0N 0TT2O Robert DelaunayF Homma!e K %l4r ot" ed- Roland 9etBel and E !r d Echade" e5#- cat-" % elefeld and <e (B ! 2008O Iordon Hu!#es, Resist n! Abstract onF Robert Delaunay and D sion n t#e Face of Hodern sm" '# ca!o and <ondon 201,- RIHA Journal 0182 | 20 November 2017 v sual e5(ress on of t#e exaltat on of t#e modern a!e- Euc# a (owerful and omn (resent emot on was cruc al to t#e creat ve endeavor of t#at revolut onary (er od- 1 Robert Delaunay" Homa!e to %l4r ot" 1+1," !lue-bound d stem(er on canvas, 2R0 5 2R1 cm- Gunstmuseum %asel" Hart n *- %U#ler" (urchased 1+N2 >(#oto!ra(#F 9 7 med a 'ommons? :2; 9 t# t#at n m nd" let us turn to t#e t me between t#e @rst !rou( e5# b t on of t#e 'ub sts" #eld n 1911, and t#e Ealon des Ind4(endants of 1914, )#en Homa!e to %l4r ot was e5# b ted- .#e aest#et cs based on '4BannesCue formulas and t#e (r nc (le of t#e mult (l cat on of (ers(ect ves as well as t#e reduct on of forms to s m(le !eometr c s#a(es" and" on t#e )#ole" based on a ne) (erce(t on of real ty reac#ed ts a(e5 dur n! t#e so0called analyt cal (#ase of 'ub sm- .#e ru(ture ) t# t#e (r nc (les of m mes s too7 on a dramat c formO t#e process of t#e destruct on of form brou!#t t#e (a nt n! on t#e ver!e of abstract on" and t#e S#ero cS wal7 on t#e very ed!e of re(resentat on would cont nue t#rou!# t#e next" “class cal2 'ub st (er od" also called 1#ermet c2- .#e bro7en and scattered fra!ments or SfacetsS" as abstract ent t es" could only be reconstructed by certa n c#aracter st c deta ls- A ro) of buttons" a moustac#e" t#e str n!s and sound #ole of a !u tar" or some stenc led letters later on V words assoc at n! t#e bo#em an atmos(#ere of bars" b stros" and n !#tclubs V would become visual S7eysS" always ca(able of br n! n! t#e (a nt n! bac7 to t#e safety of t#e re(resentat onal world- Ne t#er * casso nor %raCue (art c (ated at t#e @rst (ubl c s#o) n! of 'ub sm" )# c# too7 (lace n Ealle 41 (Room 41) at t#e 1911 Ind4(endants" so t#at t#e # !#ly dynam c develo(ment of t#e analyt cal brea7 n! down of form and s(ace )ere 7nown only to t#e closest assoc ates of t#e @rst 'ub stsO2 Robert Delaunay 2 Iu llaume A(oll na re" .#e 'ub st *a nters :1+1T;" translated and commented on by *eter Read" %er7eley and <os An!eles 200,- 8 Jo#n Iold n!" 'ub smF A H story and an RIHA Journal 0182 | 20 November 2017 and Fernand <4!er )ere certa nly amon! t#e most (ro!ress ve of t#e r followers )#o too7 (art- .#ey understood t#e lan!ua!e of 'ub sm very well but eac# of t#em" #avin! ac# eved t#e bas c ob/ect ve" sou!#t out # s own d om by e5(er ment n! ) t# form" s(ace" and color- $s n! t#e teac# n!s of t#e c# ef (rota!on sts as foundat ons on )# c# to bu ld t#e r nd vidual styles" bot# art sts s#owed dec s veness and n!enu ty n re/ect n! some cruc al (r nc (les of t#e t#en ra( dly evolvin! aest#et cs- F rst and foremost" t#e su((ress on of color and volume was unacce(table- 9#at s more" t#ey dec dedly left t#e smo7y m l eu of b stros" bars and n !#tclubs for somet# n! more (rec ous to t#emF t#ey ventured out into t#e streets" but not n order to catc# t#e !l m(ses of t#e urban landsca(e t#e way t#e Im(ress on sts or t#e Fauvists d d- Instead" t#ey wanted to celebrate t#e l vely and fervent metro(ol s as a sta!e of tec#nolo! cal revolut on" from )# c# t#ey could s(ea7 out loudly and freely- Horeover" t#ey were ) ll n! to (art c (ate )#ole#eartedly n t#e creat on of # story- .#e d alects of 'ub sm eventually develo(ed nto ne) (oet cs- In # s .ub sm" <4!er bu lds an ma! nary futur st c world of mec#an cs and robot cs V t#e world of cyl ndr cal s# mmer n! metall c forms" mac# nel 7e elements" /o nts and structures rem n scent of ndustr al0or!an c s#a(es- In tryin! to @nd # s own way out of 'ub sm" Delaunay d s(layed a some)#at more (oet c a((roac# to modern ssues" str vin! to (roduce wor7s t#at reveal (ass onate ent#us asm of a convert )#o #ad /ust been n t ated" ) t# an eCually (ass onate des re to awa7e fa t# n t#e future n # s fello) contem(orar es- An &r(# c (a nt n! abounds ) t# mot fs" fra!ments" construct ons" and mac# nery, alon! ) t# (ure forms as meta(#ors" s !ns" and symbols of t#e modern world- :T; $s n! * casso’s 1free and mob le (ers(ect ve2 n # s A Mel .ower (1911),T Delaunay mana!ed to resolve plast cally t#e (roblem of t#e com(lex construct on t#at was # t#erto ntractable by trad t onal met#odsO #e ncor(orated t#ose “seven #undred feet of ! rders and beams" t#ose four arc#es s(ann n! t#ree #undred feet2 ) t# n t#e framewor7 of # s (a nt n!" as %la se 'endrars noted n 1931., However" a(art from t#e vis ble eMorts to (resent mult (le as(ects of one ob/ect s multaneously, one cannot fa l to (erce ve n t# s wor7 t#e contours of a )#ole ne) aest#et c- .#e color sc#eme was far from typ cal of t#e 'ub sm of t#e t meO Cu te t#e contrary, t#e wor7s of t#e “analyt cal2 (#ase were (a nted almost monoc#romat cally- %es des" Delaunay’s cono!ra(#y was not a 'ub st one- < 7e <4!er" #e seemed to be more (reoccu( ed ) t# t#e outward forms of modern Analysis 1+0781+1," T- rev- ed-" <ondon and Ne) Por7 1+88" became a standard )or7 n t#e @eld- E nce t#en t#e l terature on 'ub sm #as !ro)n considerably" ) t# Robert Rosenblum" 'ub sm and t#e .)ent et#0'entury Art" Ne) Por7 1+NN" be n! a (art cularly v tal contr but on" etc.