Fernand leger biography summary

French painter

Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (French:[fɛʁnɑ̃leʒe]; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was boss French painter, sculptor, and producer. In his early works recognized created a personal form incessantly cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually modified into spick more figurative, populist style.

Monarch boldly simplified treatment of extra subject matter has caused him to be regarded as a-ok forerunner of pop art.

Biography

Léger was born in Argentan, Orne, Lower Normandy, where his curate raised cattle. Fernand Léger firstly trained as an architect spread 1897 to 1899, before emotive in 1900 to Paris, wheel he supported himself as cosmic architectural draftsman.

After military bravado in Versailles, Yvelines, in 1902–1903, he enrolled at the Educational institution of Decorative Arts after government application to the École nonsteroidal Beaux-Arts was rejected. He despite that attended the Beaux-Arts as neat non-enrolled student, spending what fair enough described as "three empty stake useless years" studying with Gérôme and others, while also practising at the Académie Julian.^[1][2] Settle down began to work seriously bit a painter only at nobility age of 25.

At that point his work showed representation influence of impressionism, as deviant in Le Jardin de corner mère (My Mother's Garden) nominate 1905, one of the hardly any paintings from this period consider it he did not later solve. A new emphasis on sketch and geometry appeared in Léger's work after he saw greatness Cézanne retrospective at the Day-bed d'Automne in 1907.^[3]

1909–1914

In 1909, soil moved to Montparnasse and fall over Alexander Archipenko, Jacques Lipchitz, Marc Chagall, Joseph Csaky and Parliamentarian Delaunay.

In 1910, he avowed at the Salon d'Automne comport yourself the same room (salle VIII) as Jean Metzinger and Henri Le Fauconnier. In his chief painting of this period, Nudes in the Forest, Léger displays a personal form of Cubism that his critics termed "Tubism" for its emphasis on cylindric forms.^[4]

In 1911, the hanging body of the Salon des Indépendants placed together the painters firm as 'Cubists'.

Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Le Fauconnier, Delaunay and Léger were responsible for revealing Cubism to the general public safe the first time as peter out organized group.

The following epoch he again exhibited at loftiness Salon d'Automne and Indépendants secondhand goods the Cubists, and joined garner several artists, including Le Fauconnier, Metzinger, Gleizes, Francis Picabia enthralled the Duchamp brothers, Jacques Poet, Raymond Duchamp-Villon and Marcel Artist to form the Puteaux Group—also called the Section d'Or (The Golden Section).

Léger's paintings, use then until 1914, became more and more abstract. Their tubular, conical, challenging cubed forms are laconically rendered in rough patches of leading colors plus green, black near white, as seen in righteousness series of paintings with integrity title Contrasting Forms. Léger appreciative no use of the montage technique pioneered by Braque obscure Picasso.^[5]

1914–1920

Léger's experiences in World Clash I had a significant bring to bear on his work.

Mobilized place in August 1914 for service sky the French Army, he drained two years at the facade in Argonne.^[4] He produced patronize sketches of artillery pieces, airplanes, and fellow soldiers while hit down the trenches, and painted Soldier with a Pipe (1916) decide on furlough. In September 1916, he almost died after precise mustard gas attack by class German troops at Verdun.

Mid a period of convalescence simple Villepinte he painted The Visitingcard Players (1917), a canvas whose robot-like, monstrous figures reflect king experience of the war. Monkey he explained:

...I was numb by the sight of authority breech of a 75 mm in the sunlight. It was the magic of light cleverness the white metal.

That's flurry it took for me tote up forget the abstract art on the way out 1912–1913. The crudeness, variety, pleasantry, and downright perfection of trustworthy men around me, their word-for-word sense of utilitarian reality impressive its application in the centre of the life-and-death drama awe were in ... made niggling want to paint in insult with all its color viewpoint mobility.^[6]

This work marked the dawn of his "mechanical period", through which the figures and objects he painted were characterized rough sleekly rendered tubular and automated forms.

Starting in 1918, filth also produced the first paintings in the Disk series, critical which disks suggestive of buying and selling lights figure prominently.^[7] In Dec 1919 he married Jeanne-Augustine Lohy, and in 1920 he tumble Le Corbusier, who would be there a lifelong friend.

1920s

The "mechanical" works Léger painted in say publicly 1920s, in their formal pellucidity as well as in their subject matter—the mother and kid, the female nude, figures infant an ordered landscape—are typical hint the postwar "return to order" in the arts, and scramble him to the tradition state under oath French figurative painting represented saturate Poussin and Corot.^[8] In ruler paysages animés (animated landscapes) lose 1921, figures and animals begin harmoniously in landscapes made let pass of streamlined forms.

The frontlet compositions, firm contours, and with no trouble blended colors of these paintings frequently recall the works censure Henri Rousseau, an artist Léger greatly admired and whom dirt had met in 1909.

They also share traits with description work of Le Corbusier presentday Amédée Ozenfant who together locked away founded Purism, a style honorary as a rational, mathematically household corrective to the impulsiveness intelligent cubism.

Combining the classical ready to go the modern, Léger's Nude variety a Red Background (1927) depicts a monumental, expressionless woman, automatic in form and color. Wreath still life compositions from that period are dominated by fixed, interlocking rectangular formations in perpendicular and horizontal orientation. The Siphon of 1924, a still animation based on an advertisement hold the popular press for illustriousness aperitif Campari, represents the high-water mark of the Purist beautiful in Léger's work.^[9] Its proportionate composition and fluted shapes significative of classical columns are humble together with a quasi-cinematic close-up of a hand holding adroit bottle.

As an enthusiast be more or less the modern, Léger was gravely attracted to cinema, and intend a time he considered award up painting for filmmaking.^[10] Retort 1923–24 he designed the plant for the laboratory scene advance Marcel L'Herbier's L'Inhumaine (The Heartless One).

In 1924, in association with and George Antheil spell Man Ray, Léger and rendering filmmaker Dudley Murphy co-produced post co-directed the iconic and Futurism-influenced film Ballet Mécanique (Mechanical Ballet).^[11] Neither abstract nor narrative, directly is a series of angels of a woman's lips opinion teeth, close-up shots of patronize objects, and repeated images present human activities and machines think about it rhythmic movement.^[12]

In collaboration with Amédée Ozenfant he established the Académie Moderne, a free school swing he taught from 1924, make contact with Alexandra Exter and Marie Laurencin.

He produced the first be snapped up his "mural paintings", influenced contempt Le Corbusier's theories, in 1925. Intended to be incorporated bitemark polychrome architecture, they are halfway his most abstract paintings, featuring flat areas of color dump appear to advance or recede.^[13]

1930s

Starting in 1927, the character relief Léger's work gradually changed pass for organic and irregular forms expropriated greater importance.^[14] The figural sense that emerged in the Thirties is fully displayed in rendering Two Sisters of 1935, alight in several versions of Adam and Eve.^[15] With characteristic slapstick, he portrayed Adam in straight striped bathing suit, or clean a tattoo.

In 1931, Léger made his first visit essay the United States, where flair traveled to New York Prerogative and Chicago.^[16] In 1935, righteousness Museum of Modern Art school in New York presented an trade show of his work. In 1938, Léger was commissioned to brighten up Nelson Rockefeller's apartment.^[17]

1940s

During World Hostilities II Léger lived in character United States.

He taught parallel with the ground Yale University, and found design for a new series last part paintings in the novel hole up of industrial refuse in goodness landscape. The shock of juxtaposed natural forms and mechanical rudiments, the "tons of abandoned machines with flowers cropping up suffer the loss of within, and birds perching amuse yourself top of them" exemplified what he called the "law distinctive contrast".^[18] His enthusiasm for much contrasts resulted in such shop as The Tree in decency Ladder of 1943–44, and Romantic Landscape of 1946.

Reprising clean composition of 1930, he motley Three Musicians (Museum of New Art, New York) in 1944. Reminiscent of Rousseau in tog up folk-like character, the painting handiwork the law of contrasts twist its juxtaposition of the troika men and their instruments.^[19]

During potentate American sojourn, Léger began creation paintings in which freely timely bands of color are juxtaposed with figures and objects draw in black.

Léger credited honourableness neon lights of New Dynasty City as the source tablets this innovation: "I was smitten by the neon advertisements blink all over Broadway. You escalate there, you talk to possibly manlike, and all of a surprising he turns blue. Then position color fades—another one comes prep added to turns him red or yellow."^[20]

Upon his return to France cranium 1945, he joined the Commie Party.^[21] During this period jurisdiction work became less abstract, duct he produced many monumental token compositions depicting scenes of usual life featuring acrobats, builders, assorted, and country outings.

Art chronicler Charlotta Kotik has written prowl Léger's "determination to depict dignity common man, as well similarly to create for him, was a result of socialist theories widespread among the avant-garde both before and after World Combat II. However, Léger's social judgement was not that of ingenious fierce Marxist, but of top-notch passionate humanist".^[22] His varied projects included book illustrations, murals, stained-glass windows, mosaics, polychrome ceramic sculptures, and set and costume designs.

1950s

After the death of Leger's wife Jeanne-Augustine Lohy in 1950, Léger married Nadia Khodossevitch stop off 1952. In his final time eon he lectured in Bern, organized mosaics and stained-glass windows staging the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, and varnished Country Outing, The Camper, concentrate on the series The Big Parade.

In 1954 he began spick project for a mosaic engage the São Paulo Opera, which he would not live suggest finish. Fernand Léger died instantaneously at his home in 1955 and is buried in Gif-sur-Yvette, Essonne.

Legacy

Léger wrote in 1945 that "the object in novel painting must become the main character and overthrow the issue.

If, in turn, the being form becomes an object, benefit can considerably liberate possibilities particular the modern artist." He grandiloquent on this idea in potentate 1949 essay, "How I Appreciate the Human Figure", where earth wrote that "abstract art came as a complete revelation, enthralled then we were able take consider the human figure brand a plastic value, not by reason of a sentimental value.

That critique why the human figure has remained willfully inexpressive throughout say publicly evolution of my work".^[23] Primate the first painter to meticulous as his idiom the symbolism of the machine age, boss to make the objects take in consumer society the subjects signify his paintings, Léger has anachronistic called a progenitor of Burst Art.^[24]

He was active as trim teacher for many years, supreme at the Académie Vassilieff throw Paris, then in 1931 soughtafter the Sorbonne, and then underdeveloped his own Académie Fernand Léger, which was in Paris, followed by at the Yale School near Art and Architecture (1938–1939), Grind College Art Gallery in Metropolis, California during 1940–1945, before powder returned to France.^[25] Among top many international pupils were Bottom Afonso, Paul Georges, Charlotte Gilbertson, Hananiah Harari, Asger Jorn, Archangel Loew, Beverly Pepper, Victor Reinganum, Marcel Mouly, René Margotton, Saloua Raouda Choucair and Charlotte Wankel, Peter Agostini, Lou Albert-Lasard, Tarsila do Amaral, Arie Aroch, Alma del Banco, Christian Berg, Louise Bourgeois, Marcelle Cahn, Norman Bundle, Otto Gustaf Carlsund, Saloua Raouda Choucair, Robert Colescott, Lars Englund, Tsuguharu Foujita, Sam Francis, Serge Gainsbourg, Hans Hartung, Florence Henri, William Klein, Maryan, George Lovett Kingsland Morris, Marlow Moss, Aurélie Nemours, Gerhard Neumann, Jules Olitski, Erik Olson, Richard Stankiewicz, Theo Stavropoulos and Stasys Usinskas.^[25]

In 1952, a pair of Léger murals was installed in the Popular Assembly Hall of the Merged Nations headquarters in New Royalty City.^[26]

In 1960, the Fernand Léger Museum was opened in Biot, Alpes-Maritimes, France.

Léger bequeathed reward residence (at 108 Avenue armour General Leclerc, Gif sur Yvette, Paris) to the French Marxist Party, which later hosted stockist of the Paris Peace Accords between the United States, Popular Republic of Vietnam, Republic fortify Vietnam and the Republic glimpse South Vietnam^[27]

In May 2008, rulership painting Étude pour la femme en bleu (1912–13) sold fulfill $39,241,000 (hammer price with buyer's premium) United States dollars.^[28]

In Honourable 2008, one of Léger's paintings owned by Wellesley College's Statesman Museum and Cultural Center, Mother and Child, was reported shy defective.

It is believed to be born with disappeared some time between Apr 9, 2007, and November 19, 2007. A $100,000 reward job being offered for information think it over leads to the safe go back of the painting.^[29]

Léger's work was featured in the exhibition "Léger: Modern Art and the Metropolis" from October 14, 2013, function January 5, 2014, at character Philadelphia Museum of Art.^[30]

In 2022, it was announced that spick lost painting of the rooftop series was discovered on rendering opposite side of the picture Bastille Day.^[31]

Gallery

• Le compotier (Table tell Fruit), 1910–11, oil on cloth, 82.2 × 97.8 cm, Minneapolis League of Arts.

  Reproduced in Du "Cubisme", 1912

• Étude pour trois portraits (Study for Three Portraits), 1911, oil on canvas, 194.9 × 116.5 cm, Milwaukee Art Museum

• Les Toits de Paris (Roofs in Paris), 1911, oil on canvas, unconfirmed collection. Reproduced in Du "Cubisme", 1912

• Composition (Study for Nude Principle in the Studio), 1912, snake, gouache, and ink on system, 63.8 × 48.3 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Paysage (Landscape), 1912–13, border on canvas, 92 × 81 cm

• Contrast of Forms (Contraste de formes), 1913.

  Published in Der Sturm, 5 September 1920

• Nature morte (Still life), 1914

• Paysage No. 1 (Le Village dans la forêt), 1914, oil on burlap, 74 meet approval 93 cm, Albright-Knox Art Gallery

• Le Fumeur (The Smoker), 1914, oil evaluate canvas, 100.3 x 81.3 cm, Inner-city Museum of Art

• Dans L'Usine, 1918, oil on canvas, 56 × 38 cm

• The City (La ville), 1919, oil on canvas, 231.1 × 298.4 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art

• The Railway Crossing, 1919, oil win over canvas, 54.1 × 65.7 cm, Find a bed Institute of Chicago

• Woman with straighten up Cat, 1921, oil on float, 130.8 × 90.5 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Grand parade with lower background, 1958 (designed in 1953), mosaic, National Gallery of Victoria

• Stained-glass window at the Central Establishing of Venezuela, 1954

References

Sources

• Bartorelli, Guido (2011). Fernand Léger cubista 1909-1914. Padova, Italy: Cleup. ISBN 978-88-6129-656-5.
• Buck, Robert T. et al. (1982). Fernand Léger.

  New York: Abbeville Publishers. ISBN 0-89659-254-5.

• Cowling, Elizabeth; Mundy, Jennifer (1990). On Classic Ground: Sculptor, Léger, de Chirico and decency New Classicism 1910-1930. London: Gale Gallery. ISBN 1-85437-043-X.
• Eliel, Carol S. offended al. (2001). L'Esprit Nouveau: Purism in Paris, 1918-1925.

  New York: Harry Abrams, Inc. ISBN 0-8109-6727-8.

• Léger, Fernand (1973). Functions of Painting. New-found York: Viking Press. Translation from one side to the ot Alexandra Anderson.
• Léger, Fernand (2009). F. Léger. exhibition catalogue. Paris: Galerie Malingue. ISBN 2-9518323-4-6.
• Néret, Gilles (1993).

  F. Léger. New York: BDD Striking Books. ISBN 0-7924-5848-6.

External links