Nude at her Toilette - Nude at the Dressing Table by Robert Delaunay

This sumptuous study of the human figure, temporarily titled “Nude at her Toilette - Nude at the Dressing Table”, shows how the artist Robert Delaunay applies his Orphist theories to the classical theme of the nude. By decomposing the woman’s body through circular light prisms, the painter merges the subject with its spatial environment. This mature work celebrates light as a dynamic and constructive element of form, announcing the definitive emancipation of pure color.

A nude woman is depicted from behind, seated in a pensive posture, her body painted in soft shades of yellow, pink, and ocher. Concentric discs of pastel and luminous colors overlap on her buttocks and back, creating an astonishing optical vibration. On the left, a small round table is covered with a red and orange tablecloth with geometric patterns, on which lies a small open book of light color. The background is a whirlwind of circular waves dominated by a large cobalt blue, purple, and green disc in the upper right corner. A diffuse and enveloping light seems to emanate directly from the surrounding chromatic circles.

Robert Delaunay demonstrates exceptional craftsmanship here in rendering volumes through the sole thermal contrast of colors. His technique of layering oil glazes and his management of circular light bear witness to an absolute pictorial mastery and a great poetic sensitivity.