City of Paris 2 by Robert Delaunay

This monumental painting of extraordinary ambition, temporarily titled “City of Paris 2”, asserts itself as the absolute masterpiece of the Cubist period of the artist Robert Delaunay. By merging the classical theme of three nudes with a dynamic panorama of Parisian modernity, the painter delivers a masterly synthesis of his aesthetic research. This monumental composition celebrates the timeless beauty of the human figure in the heart of the modern city.

The stylized silhouettes of the Three Graces stand proudly in the foreground of the scene, represented in delicate tones of beige, flesh pink, and soft ocher, their harmonious bodies fragmented into multiple geometric Cubist facets. On the left, a curved red bridge stretches across the Seine near a shore dotted with white buildings, while on the right rise the fractured structures of the red Eiffel Tower and a large dark ship. The background is an immense prism of triangular facets blending celestial blues, soft greys, and tender greens. A radiant light beautifully unifies the entire canvas.

Robert Delaunay deploys here a prodigious craftsmanship in managing a very large-format canvas and the harmony of an extremely complex composition. His technical mastery of oil painting applied in light, transparent layers allows him to unify the shapes and make the light vibrate with unparalleled intensity.