Resisting Abstraction: Robert Delaunay and Vision in the Face of Modernism

Focusing on the groundbreaking contributions of Robert Delaunay, this study presents him as a pivotal figure in early twentieth-century art, asserting that he was the first to explore pure abstraction. Unlike his contemporaries, Delaunay's vibrant, optically driven works were deeply rooted in the material sensations of modern life, reflecting contemporary optical science. This approach distinguished him from artists like Kandinsky and Mondrian, whose spiritual motivations contrasted sharply with Delaunay's vision, ultimately influencing the trajectory of mid-twentieth-century abstraction.