Distant Journeys - Sonia Delaunay
Archival giclée
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Description
A 1937 gouache composition by Sonia Delaunay, featuring the rhythmic geometric forms and colour theory characteristic of the Orphist movement.
Distant Journeys (Voyages lointains) is a work by Sonia Delaunay, created in 1937. The composition consists of four vertical panels arranged in a stepped sequence, a format often associated with her decorative commissions for the 1937 Paris International Exposition. The work demonstrates the artist's mastery of Orphism, a movement she co-founded with her husband, Robert Delaunay. This style prioritises the use of pure colour and geometric forms to create a sense of movement and rhythm, rather than relying on traditional perspective or representational accuracy.
The visual field is populated by concentric circles, arcs, and segmented shapes that suggest celestial bodies or rhythmic motion. Delaunay employs a palette of soft blues, yellows, and pinks, punctuated by stronger accents of red and deep blue. These elements interact to produce a sense of optical vibration. The arrangement of the panels creates a narrative flow, moving from the more structured, circular motifs on the left towards the lighter, more ethereal forms on the right.
Throughout her career, Delaunay applied these principles of colour theory to various media, including textile design, fashion, and bookbinding. This specific work reflects her interest in the synthesis of fine art and applied design. The repetition of circular forms serves to unify the disparate panels, creating a cohesive visual experience. The application of gouache allows for a matte, opaque finish that enhances the clarity of the geometric shapes. By focusing on the interaction of colour planes, Delaunay invites the viewer to engage with the work as a series of rhythmic intervals. The composition avoids static balance, opting instead for a dynamic arrangement that suggests the passage of time or the movement of travel, consistent with the title.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
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Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
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- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Distant Journeys - Sonia Delaunay
Artist Biography
Sonia Delaunay
She was born Sara Stern in 1885 in Hradyzk, Ukraine. At five, her wealthy uncle Henri Terk adopted her and took her to St Petersburg. She grew up with access to art collections, European travel, and a good education. She studied in Karlsruhe, moved to Paris in 1905, and absorbed the Fauvists and Post-Impressionists. After meeting Robert, they developed what Guillaume Apollinaire named Orphism: a variant of Cubism built on pure colour, geometric abstraction, and dynamic movement. Their shared foundation was Chevreul's colour theory of simultaneous contrast, where adjacent colours alter each other's appearance.
In 1913, she sewed the simultaneous dress by hand from scraps of men's tailoring cloth, velvet, silk, and fur. It was designed to match the energy of the foxtrot and tango at Le Bal Bullier, a popular Parisian dance hall. Apollinaire urged readers to visit the Bal Bullier on Thursdays when the Delaunays arrived wearing her creations. The same year, she collaborated with Blaise Cendrars on La Prose du Transsiberien, a two-metre vertical fold-out combining his poem with her abstract colour panels. It is described as the first complete fusion of poetry and painting.
She treated painting, textiles, and fashion as a single practice. She set up a studio in their apartment, opened a fashion house called Sonia, and had her textile line picked up by one of Europe's biggest fabric manufacturers. In 1964, she became the first living woman to have a retrospective at the Louvre. She was seventy-nine. She died in 1979, aged ninety-four.
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