Portuguese Still Life 2 by Robert Delaunay

This vibrant work from the Portuguese period, titled “Portuguese Still Life 2”, bears witness to the fascination of the artist Robert Delaunay for Iberian light and popular art. During his exile, the painter integrates local craft objects and textual elements to create still lifes of great expressive power. This creation is part of his research on simultaneism, where pure color and geometric rhythm celebrate the beauty of everyday life.

The composition features a table covered with a bright yellow cloth adorned with three large red flowers embroidered in black. On the table lie a white Portuguese guitar with ocher and blue outlines, a blue and green ceramic jug decorated with concentric discs, and a small colorful bowl on the left. In the center, a deep black vase creates a strong visual anchor, while in the background, a poster bears a handwritten poem in Portuguese mentioning Minho. The background of the canvas blends shades of emerald green and blue, bathing the scene in a bright, warm, and intensely solar light.

Robert Delaunay demonstrates here a refined craftsmanship by marrying flat areas of gouache and rich pictorial textures. His ability to integrate graphic handwriting within a space of simultaneous color contrasts reveals a virtuoso handling of shapes and a keen sense of decorative harmony.