Robert Delaunay: Cathédrale de Laon

Robert Delaunay (French, 1885 – 1941), *Cathédrale de Laon,* oil on canvas, 64,5 x 54,2 cm; 25¾ x 21⅜ in., Executed in 1912, Image Source: Sotheby’s

“Reflecting the peak of Synthetic Cubism at that time, the city appears deconstructed into geometric planes, shifting between two and three dimensions…The composition unfolds across multiple planes, which themselves subdivide further: the shape of the canvas—like a window onto the landscape—mirrors the shape of the building windows, which in turn repeat the city’s architectural forms…Here, the full spectrum is present—from blue and green to vermilion—suggesting a breakdown of light itself. Surfaces with the same orientation and lighting are rendered in the same color: the perfectly parallel towers appear green, aligned buildings are bathed in blue, and the slopes leading to the cathedral glow with warm oranges…Most significantly, painted in January 1912, Cathedral de Laon stands at the threshold of Orphism—a movement officially named only months later by Guillaume Apollinaire during the Section d’Or exhibition. Inspired by the “luminous language” of his 1908 poem Orphée, and rooted in Analytical Cubism, Orphism focused not on deconstructing form but rather on liberating color from line and structure.”