Orphism: The Look of Music

Robert Delaunay, Homage to Bleriot - 1914 - Oil on canvas - 76 1/2 x 50 1/2 in. - Kunstmuseum, Basle (click photo for larger image)Fernand Leger, Divers on a Yellow Background, 1941, oil on cavnas, The Art Institute of Chicago. (click photo for larger image)Orphism was a trend in the early Modern era that derived from cubism, but which gave priority to color. The French poet Guillaume Apollinaire--who gave the movement its name (after the mythological Orpheus)--felt the style brought musical qualities to painting, which was a particular interest of many modern artists. Practitioners of Orphism include Robert Delaunay, Fernand Léger, Francis Picabia, and Marcel Duchamp. Delaunay, in particular, focused on the extraordinary aesthetic of color in his work. Leger developed his Cubism into a more figurative style.