DELAUNAY-TERK, SONIA

DELAUNAY-TERK, SONIA (1885–1979), French painter and fashion designer. She was born in Russia and in 1906 settled in Paris. In 1910 she married the painter Robert Delaunay. Her bold use of strong primary color was only fully revealed after 1912, when she and her husband invented a form of abstract painting known as "Orphism." This was based on "simultaneous color contrasts," often expressed in their paintings by circles of contrasting hues. Their innovation had a profound effect on the applied arts, including fashion, architecture, furnishings, and the theater. She illustrated books and became a celebrated designer of fabrics, scarves, and dresses.

bibliography:

National Gallery of Canada, Robert and Sonia Delaunay (1965), exhibition catalog with introd. by B. Dorival.

Delaunay-Terk, Sonia (1885–1979) French painter, b. Russia. Co-founder (with her husband Robert Delaunay) of orphism. Among her most notable works are the lyrical Simultaneous Contrasts (1912) and delightful abstract illustrations for the Prose du Trans-Sibérien by Blaise Cendrars.