Orfizme 

Editor: This abstract painting by Sonia Delaunay, titled "Orfizme" and rendered in watercolor, is an explosion of colorful, geometric shapes. It has such a dynamic, almost dizzying, effect! What can you tell me about it? Curator: "Orfizme," yes. A captivating piece that throws back to early 20th-century modernism. Delaunay was, of course, a central figure in Orphism, and this work helps clarify the movement's intention. Editor: Clarify? Curator: Orphism was concerned with how abstract painting could convey musical qualities. It sought to make art that resembled music's emotive force. Color becomes the melody, composition the harmony. Delaunay was deeply immersed in exploring synesthesia - how one sense could evoke another. We have to consider it through the historical moment; a period intensely absorbed in technological and social shifts and a desire for art to reflect that modernity, in new non-representational imagery. What do you make of that context when viewing the painting? Editor: I guess it makes the work more intentional. So the seeming chaos is carefully planned, like the notes in a song, and not just random shapes. Did that influence her role as an artist at the time? Curator: Certainly. By pushing abstraction, Delaunay questioned the conventional role of painting and, by extension, the place of women artists in established institutions. It challenges traditional notions of artistic skill and representation. Its public role was very much tied to redefining social mores and challenging existing cultural hegemonies. Editor: That is a totally different way to appreciate abstract painting than what I initially assumed. Thanks, that helps contextualize her artistic intention and situate it in the social and political landscape of her time. Curator: Indeed. These early abstract works paved the way for so many contemporary explorations of color, form, and meaning. Food for thought.