Prose of the Trans-Siberian and of Little Jehanne of France

Currently not on view

Prose of the Trans-Siberian and of Little Jehanne of France

1913

Sonia Delaunay (Russian (born Ukraine, active France), 1885–1979) Poem written by Blaise Cendrars (Swiss (active France), 1887–1961) Published by Editions des Hommes Nouveaux, Paris

“Before the war,” wrote Léger’s friend Blaise Cendrars, painters and poets “lived comingled, with . . . the same concerns.” This work, with illustrations by Sonia Delaunay-Terk and a poem about a railway journey by Cendrars, is one of the outstanding products of that collaborative milieu. Printed in a limited edition of 150 copies, it is meant to be read like a book and viewed like a painting. Both poem and illustrations reflect the aesthetic of Simultaneism, conveying the experience of spatial and temporal dislocation in a world reshaped by innovations in transportation and communication. The poem’s endpoint is Paris, and if all the copies of his unfolded poem were pasted together, Cendrars maintained, they would rise to the height of the Eiffel Tower.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Titles:

Prose of the Trans-Siberian and of Little Jehanne of France
La Prose du Transsibérien et de la petite Jehanne de France, La Prose du Transsibérien et de la Petite Jehanne de France

Date:

1913

Artists:

Sonia Delaunay (Russian (born Ukraine, active France), 1885–1979) Poem written by Blaise Cendrars (Swiss (active France), 1887–1961) Published by Editions des Hommes Nouveaux, Paris

Medium:

Pochoir, in color on cream wove imitation Japan paper; parchment wrapper painted by Delaunay

Dimensions:

Image and sheet (pochoir; unfolded): 6 feet 6 3/4 inches × 1 feet 2 inches (200 × 35.6 cm) Image and sheet (parchment wrapper; folded): 7 3/8 × 4 3/16 inches (18.7 × 10.6 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

Purchased with funds contributed by The Charles K. Williams Foundation, 2004

Accession Number:

2004-188-1a,b

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Currently not on view