December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!, with Sonia Delaunay





I wish all my readers a healthy and fruitful New Year, full of grand pleasures and small delights.

I chose to illustrate my good wishes with the work of Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979), which shows, in color and spirit, a joy in the new. With her husband Robert, in 1911-13 she made paintings which were labeled "Orphism". Delaunay was also a designer, one of the most important of the early 20th century, starting out by designing costumes for Diaghilev in 1917. The images below are of fabric designs, full of color and movement, a nice stand-in for fireworks. And try to imagine that last black and white photo in living color and driving the car, wearing that dress, to a New Year's party.

Happy New Year, everyone!





14 comments:

  1. nice post, and I like the pairing of the Sonia Delaunay painting at the top, with your painting to the right of it (on the link to your website). Nice twin effect.

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  2. Oh these are GREAT! Thank you for posting. Now I know EXACTLY what to do with my white/rusty Subabru!

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  3. Thanks, Ken. The pairing is nice surprise, which startled me when I put up the post.
    Nancy, so glad you like these. Definitely send a photo if you do decide to paint your car.;-)

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  4. Thanks for the cheerful Delaunays, Altoon. They've always been some of my favorites! (and also the current Mardens) And Sheila Hicks a while back was a real "blast from the past". I started out as a "fiber artist" in the '70s and worked on many mammoth wrapped pieces and I hadn't thought about her in years. I've also enjoyed touring your farmhouse via the Internet! Best for the New Year!

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  5. You're very welcome, Gail; it's fun to share these. And I'm glad you've enjoyed other posts.

    Happy New Year, everyone.

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  6. Oh my goodness--this woman knew her way around circles! Delaunay is one of those artists whose work helps me to see the world in new ways. As I scroll from the top images to the bottom one on black, it seems as if she's unwrapped the lines in the circles, stretching them out and letting them go again in a virtual display of fireworks.

    I also with Ken about the pairing of your gouache with hers. Wonderful! Best wishes for this new year.

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  7. Thanks for reminding us about this other inspiring woman. And for compelling posts in 2010!

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  8. Hannah, I'm so glad that you find Delaunay's work exciting. She certainly does find new ways with the circle, which in art is very hard to do.

    She is inspiring, isn't she, Julie, especially when you read a little about her life.

    Here's to a wonderful new year!

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  9. Clearly, I need to know more about this woman and her work. Always liked her. Any book/museum recommendations for more S. Delaunay?

    And a very happy year to you, too, and many thanks for all the riches of your posts!

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  10. Susan, thanks, and a good year to you too!
    I wish I had some ideas for you to follow up on Delaunay. I'd known vaguely about Orphism, but got more info online, especially from Wikipedia. I first became interested in her textile work when I did a post on textile design.

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  11. These images -What a wonderful New Year gift

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  12. Wonderful to see Sonia Delaunay's; so cheerful and uplifting. Good for your Happy New Year wish to us all. Thank you, Altoon. i hope this whole year fills you with inspiration, color and garden pleasures, and satisfaction.

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  13. Altoon and Maggie and Ken I just got back from the Sonia Delanay exhibit at Cooper- Hewett Museum. So joyful so warm so lively and geometric. She designed clothes with poems written on them!, The embroidered designs are just dynamite. Friendly dynamite. The show at 90th Street at Cooper Hewett is extended until June 19, it made me think of your ruglets Altoon and of you too Maggie. S.D. goes well with the beautiful Malevich paintings at Gagosian Gallery. Actually that gallery made me mad at the snotty, filthy rich, patriarchial art world. (all older black guards, no chairs for them, at least five young skinny white women receptionists and the only painting by a woman in the show was roped off so you couldn't see it. Agnes Martin. But still a beautiful show.. Marjorie Kramer in NYC

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  14. Marjorie, I was able to see the Delaunay show last week and I certainly agree that it was fantastic. I spent quite some time doing sketches of her textile patterns and they gave me lots of ideas. Very joyful, as you say.

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