French painter Robert Delaunay (1885-1941) was a truly dynamic artist of the 20th century. His artistic style kept changing between the triangular creative zone formed by ‘Orphism’, ‘Abstraction’ and ‘Cubism’. Robert’s ‘Eiffel Tower Series’ consisted of the most powerful works of his life. The Tower, the very icon of the urbanization, always fascinated Delaunay. Being a radio tower, the Tower represented unlimited communication and its unique construction was a symbol of the evolution of the machine age. Robert created around 30 works (sketches, window paintings and oil paintings) using the Eiffel Tower as a subject, during his self-styled “destructive phase”. All these paintings represent the tower surrounded by tall buildings, from different angles and points of view. Three oil paintings from the ‘Eiffel Tower Series’, created between 1909 and 1912, are considered the true masterpieces of Delaunay’s art.
The three famous oil paintings in Robert’s Tower Series were:
o Tower with Trees (49 ¾” x 36 ½” canvas)
o Torre (Tour Eiffel) – Measuring 79 ½” x 54 1/2″ on canvas, this painting shows the tower emerging from the curtain of surrounding skyscrapers.
o The Red Tower (63 ¼” x 50 5/8″ canvas)
Robert Delaunay’s ‘Eiffel Tower Series’ epitomizes ‘Modernism’. All the paintings are dramatic representations, pulsating with energy and presenting an elusive image. A vibrant flow of vivid colors forms a group of interesting abstracts. All three paintings present an angular view of the Tower. Robert has used a bright but limited color palette, such as red, orange, brown, grey, white, black and shades of blue, in his ‘Tower Series’. His innovative approach to the series was free from all established creative norms at the time, ‘impressionistic’ landscapes to be precise.
Delaunay adapted a distinctive style, appearing ‘Cubist’ in nature with a hint of ‘Fauvism’ (due to the use of vibrant colours). He invented the non-imitation art form, where color, rather than an object-inspired form, plays a key role in painting. The fragmented layers of color form the mesmerizing patterns of fractured spaces, left to be perceived by the viewer’s mind. The awesomeness of these very futuristic illustrations tends to provoke the inner physics and lift one to a different level of self-awareness.
Robert Delaunay’s unique conceptualization in ‘The Eiffel Tower Series’ established his name as a pioneer in ‘Abstract Art’. Clement Greenburg once said of Robert Delaunay: “He was an enterprising painter whose influence on the art world was far greater than his art.” The paintings “Eiffel Tower with Trees” and “Eiffel Tower” currently rest in the Guggenheim Museum in New York, while “The Red Tower” is in the Chicago Institute of Arts.
