Sonia Delaunay: “Primes Electrics, Boulevard Saint Michel” (No. 41) (1913-1914)

"It is the heartbeat of the actively living person," Robert Delaunay observed regarding the human sense of proportion and the harmonious interplay of colors. According to Robert and Sonia, the human eye perceives colors as vibrations, rhythms, depths, and variations—comparable to music. The Ukrainian artist's work clearly reflects her intense relationship with music and poetry. Sonia Terk was born in Gradiesk in 1855 and died in Paris in 1979. She grew up in St. Petersburg and came to Karlsruhe in 1903 to study at the Academy. Two years later, she completed her studies at the Académié de la Palette in Paris. The painter made her debut in 1908 at the Paris gallery of Wilhelm Uhde, Sonia's first husband. After meeting Robert Delaunay at this meeting place for young artists, Uhde agreed to a separation, and she married Robert in 1910. This "love at first sight" united two remarkable artistic personalities. They shared the same ideas and often sparked each other's creativity. The couple's Parisian studio became a hub of the artistic avant-garde during the Roaring Twenties.