Formes circulaires, soleil (Circular Forms, Sun)

In the series Formes Circulaires Robert Delaunay takes as theme the forms of appearance of light as an abstract phenomenon. The subtitle Sun and Moon not only point to the origin of natural light but also indicate the varying compositions within the series which refer to the two heavenly bodies both formally and in terms of color. For the Moon Delaunay selected a rather pale, oval form, surrounded by rings of color, while the Sun is characterized by a centrifugal ordering of the color fields. Around a center marked with light yellow, layered circles and circle sections form in a dynamic rhythm of prismatic color. With the Circular Forms Delaunay undertook as systematization of the simultaneous contrast of colors to define the universal law of our sight. His contemporaries, including Fernand Léger, August Macke and Franz Marc credited him with decisive impulses for their own artistic work; and still a generation later his influence can be seen, for example in the work of Kenneth Noland.