Simultaneous Contrasts: Sun and Moon 1913

Robert Delaunay made this oil painting, Simultaneous Contrasts: Sun and Moon, exploring the relationship between color and form. It's a swirling dance of light and dark, a process made visible through layers of translucent paint. Look closely at the top left. The way Delaunay builds up those concentric rings of color, like echoes radiating outward, isn’t about hiding the brushstrokes; it’s about revealing the act of painting itself. You can almost feel the rhythm of his hand, the push and pull as he coaxes the colors into being. The whole piece has this beautiful, almost ethereal quality. The colors blend and bleed into each other, creating a sense of movement and vibration. It reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint’s abstract paintings – both artists were pushing the boundaries of representation and exploring the spiritual potential of abstraction. Ultimately, this painting isn’t just about what we see; it’s about how we see, and how art can open up new ways of experiencing the world.