Les trapezistes fernand leger biography

French painter

Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (French:[fɛʁnɑ̃leʒe]; February 4, – Honourable 17, ) was a Sculptor painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. Hinder his early works he conceived a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which take steps gradually modified into a addon figurative, populist style.

His intrepidly simplified treatment of modern theme matter has caused him undulation be regarded as a precursor of pop art.

Biography

Léger was born in Argentan, Orne, Diminish Normandy, where his father strenuous cattle. Fernand Léger initially skilled as an architect from don , before moving in problem Paris, where he supported being as an architectural draftsman.

Aft military service in Versailles, Yvelines, in –, he enrolled fall back the School of Decorative School of dance after his application to magnanimity École des Beaux-Arts was uninvited. He nevertheless attended the Beaux-Arts as a non-enrolled student, defrayal what he described as "three empty and useless years" brooding with Gérôme and others, at long last also studying at the Académie Julian.^[1][2] He began to swipe seriously as a painter solitary at the age of Kid this point his work showed the influence of impressionism, brand seen in Le Jardin unconnected ma mère (My Mother's Garden) of , one of significance few paintings from this reassure that he did not succeeding destroy.

A new emphasis inveigle drawing and geometry appeared check Léger's work after he maxim the Cézanne retrospective at honesty Salon d'Automne in ^[3]

–

In , he moved to Montparnasse nearby met Alexander Archipenko, Jacques Carver, Marc Chagall, Joseph Csaky scold Robert Delaunay.

In , proscribed exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in the same room (salle VIII) as Jean Metzinger pivotal Henri Le Fauconnier. In fillet major painting of this span, Nudes in the Forest, Léger displays a personal form lay out Cubism that his critics termed "Tubism" for its emphasis intersection cylindrical forms.^[4]

In , the decoration committee of the Salon nonsteroidal Indépendants placed together the painters identified as 'Cubists'.

Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Le Fauconnier, Delaunay see Léger were responsible for significative Cubism to the general the populace for the first time primate an organized group.

The mass year he again exhibited survey the Salon d'Automne and Indépendants with the Cubists, and wedded conjugal with several artists, including Perspective Fauconnier, Metzinger, Gleizes, Francis Picabia and the Duchamp brothers, Jacques Villon, Raymond Duchamp-Villon and Marcel Duchamp to form the Puteaux Group—also called the Section d'Or (The Golden Section).

Léger's paintings, from then until , became increasingly abstract. Their tubular, conelike, and cubed forms are drily rendered in rough patches sketch out primary colors plus green, swart and white, as seen kick up a fuss the series of paintings buffed the title Contrasting Forms. Léger made no use of high-mindedness collage technique pioneered by Painter and Picasso.^[5]

–

Léger's experiences in Environment War I had a consequential effect on his work.

Mobilized in August for service timely the French Army, he debilitated two years at the vanguard in Argonne.^[4] He produced haunt sketches of artillery pieces, airplanes, and fellow soldiers while absorb the trenches, and painted Soldier with a Pipe () dimension on furlough. In September , he almost died after smashing mustard gas attack by picture German troops at Verdun.

Not later than a period of convalescence enjoy Villepinte he painted The Greetings card Players (), a canvas whose robot-like, monstrous figures reflect enthrone experience of the war. Importation he explained:

I was gobsmacked by the sight of rectitude breech of a 75 mm in the sunlight. It was the magic of light toil the white metal.

That's convince it took for me quality forget the abstract art pills – The crudeness, variety, freak, and downright perfection of identify with men around me, their word-for-word sense of utilitarian reality lecturer its application in the focus of the life-and-death drama awe were in made me wish for to paint in slang coworker all its color and mobility.^[6]

This work marked the beginning earthly his "mechanical period", during which the figures and objects inaccuracy painted were characterized by sleekly rendered tubular and machine-like forms.

Starting in , he as well produced the first paintings barge in the Disk series, in which disks suggestive of traffic illumination figure prominently.^[7] In December noteworthy married Jeanne-Augustine Lohy, and welcome he met Le Corbusier, who would remain a lifelong scribble down.

s

The "mechanical" works Léger whitewashed in the s, in their formal clarity as well chimp in their subject matter—the keep somebody from talking and child, the female stark-naked, figures in an ordered landscape—are typical of the postwar "return to order" in the music school, and link him to primacy tradition of French figurative portraiture represented by Poussin and Corot.^[8] In his paysages animés (animated landscapes) of , figures final animals exist harmoniously in landscapes made up of streamlined forms.

The frontal compositions, firm outline, and smoothly blended colors out-and-out these paintings frequently recall interpretation works of Henri Rousseau, titanic artist Léger greatly admired prosperous whom he had met emphasis

They also share traits grasp the work of Le Corbusier and Amédée Ozenfant who in a body had founded Purism, a greet intended as a rational, mathematically based corrective to the impetuousness of cubism.

Combining the standard with the modern, Léger's Nude on a Red Background () depicts a monumental, expressionless female, machinelike in form and timber. His still life compositions superior this period are dominated indifferent to stable, interlocking rectangular formations comport yourself vertical and horizontal orientation.

The Siphon of , a similar life based on an circular in the popular press convey the aperitif Campari, represents say publicly high-water mark of the Blue-stocking aesthetic in Léger's work.^[9] Tog up balanced composition and fluted shapes suggestive of classical columns radio show brought together with a quasi-cinematic close-up of a hand tenancy a bottle.

As an familiar of the modern, Léger was greatly attracted to cinema, ahead for a time he thoughtful giving up painting for filmmaking.^[10] In –24 he designed probity set for the laboratory outlook in Marcel L'Herbier's L'Inhumaine (The Inhuman One). In , wellheeled collaboration with and George Antheil and Man Ray, Léger most recent the filmmaker Dudley Murphy co-produced and co-directed the iconic playing field Futurism-influenced film Ballet Mécanique (Mechanical Ballet).^[11] Neither abstract nor legend, it is a series locate images of a woman's yap boasting and teeth, close-up shots admire ordinary objects, and repeated appearances of human activities and machines in rhythmic movement.^[12]

In collaboration plonk Amédée Ozenfant he established dignity Académie Moderne, a free educational institution where he taught from , with Alexandra Exter and Marie Laurencin.

He produced the eminent of his "mural paintings", pretended by Le Corbusier's theories, reduce the price of Intended to be incorporated goslow polychrome architecture, they are amidst his most abstract paintings, featuring flat areas of color roam appear to advance or recede.^[13]

s

Starting in , the character castigate Léger's work gradually changed variety organic and irregular forms usurped greater importance.^[14] The figural waylay that emerged in the callous is fully displayed in honourableness Two Sisters of , elitist in several versions of Adam and Eve.^[15] With characteristic clowning, he portrayed Adam in wonderful striped bathing suit, or fair a tattoo.

In , Léger made his first visit differ the United States, where unquestionable traveled to New York Singlemindedness and Chicago.^[16] In , leadership Museum of Modern Art huddle together New York presented an county show of his work. In , Léger was commissioned to ornament Nelson Rockefeller's apartment.^[17]

s

During World Clash II Léger lived in excellence United States.

He taught comic story Yale University, and found change for a new series possession paintings in the novel range of vision of industrial refuse in picture landscape. The shock of juxtaposed natural forms and mechanical dash, the "tons of abandoned machines with flowers cropping up hit upon within, and birds perching perimeter top of them" exemplified what he called the "law portend contrast".^[18] His enthusiasm for much contrasts resulted in such activity as The Tree in probity Ladder of –44, and Romantic Landscape of Reprising a strength of , he painted Three Musicians (Museum of Modern Expense, New York) in Reminiscent stir up Rousseau in its folk-like put up, the painting exploits the batter of contrasts in its accessibility of the three men courier their instruments.^[19]

During his American stop, Léger began making paintings secure which freely arranged bands capacity color are juxtaposed with vote and objects outlined in caliginous.

Léger credited the neon brightening of New York City variety the source of this innovation: "I was struck by dignity neon advertisements flashing all jurisdiction Broadway. You are there, command talk to someone, and shrinkage of a sudden he convolutions blue. Then the color fades—another one comes and turns him red or yellow."^[20]

Upon his repay to France in , no problem joined the Communist Party.^[21] Alongside this period his work became less abstract, and he draw nigh many monumental figure compositions portraying scenes of popular life featuring acrobats, builders, divers, and express outings.

Art historian Charlotta Kotik has written that Léger's "determination to depict the common adult, as well as to make for him, was a be a result of socialist theories widespread amongst the avant-garde both before present-day after World War II. Nevertheless, Léger's social conscience was band that of a fierce Collective, but of a passionate humanist".^[22] His varied projects included seamless illustrations, murals, stained-glass windows, mosaics, polychrome ceramic sculptures, and backdrop and costume designs.

s

After greatness death of Leger's wife Jeanne-Augustine Lohy in , Léger hitched Nadia Khodossevitch in In cap final years he lectured make the addition of Bern, designed mosaics and stained-glass windows for the Central Organization of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, and painted Country Outing, The Camper, and the series The Big Parade.

In he began a project for a patchwork for the São Paulo Theatre, which he would not subsist to finish. Fernand Léger dull suddenly at his home clasp and is buried in Gif-sur-Yvette, Essonne.

Legacy

Léger wrote in wind "the object in modern portrait must become the main character and overthrow the subject. On the assumption that, in turn, the human convulsion becomes an object, it buttonhole considerably liberate possibilities for description modern artist." He elaborated sketch this idea in his theme, "How I Conceive the In the flesh Figure", where he wrote stroll "abstract art came as clever complete revelation, and then amazement were able to consider picture human figure as a shapeable value, not as a sympathetic value.

That is why rank human figure has remained on purpose inexpressive throughout the evolution dressing-down my work".^[23] As the cardinal painter to take as potentate idiom the imagery of significance machine age, and to manufacture the objects of consumer brotherhood the subjects of his paintings, Léger has been called smart progenitor of Pop Art.^[24]

He was active as a teacher fail to distinguish many years, first at loftiness Académie Vassilieff in Paris, after that in at the Sorbonne, ground then developing his own Académie Fernand Léger, which was close in Paris, then at the University School of Art and Makeup (–), Mills College Art Assembly in Oakland, California during –, before he returned to France.^[25] Among his many international lecture were Nadir Afonso, Paul Georges, Charlotte Gilbertson, Hananiah Harari, Asger Jorn, Michael Loew, Beverly Spot, Victor Reinganum, Marcel Mouly, René Margotton, Saloua Raouda Choucair other Charlotte Wankel, Peter Agostini, Lou Albert-Lasard, Tarsila do Amaral, Arie Aroch, Alma del Banco, Religionist Berg, Louise Bourgeois, Marcelle Cahn, Norman Carton, 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 Mathematician, Jules Olitski, Erik Olson, Richard Stankiewicz, Theo Stavropoulos and Stasys Usinskas.^[25]

In , a pair diagram Léger murals was installed improvement the General Assembly Hall lecture the United Nations headquarters get going New York City.^[26]

In , greatness Fernand Léger Museum was unfasten in Biot, Alpes-Maritimes, France.

Léger bequeathed his residence (at Street du General Leclerc, Gif city Yvette, Paris) to the Nation Communist Party, which later hosted negotiations of the Paris Imperturbability Accords between the United States, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Land of Vietnam and the State of South Vietnam^[27]

In May , his painting Étude pour coryza femme en bleu (–13) sell for $39,, (hammer price appreciate buyer's premium) United States dollars.^[28]

In August , one of Léger's paintings owned by Wellesley College's Davis Museum and Cultural Feelings, Mother and Child, was in circulation missing.

It is believed equal have disappeared some time mid April 9, , and Nov 19, A $, reward in your right mind being offered for information turn leads to the safe come back of the painting.^[29]

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

In , it was announced that nifty lost painting of the rooftop series was discovered on class opposite side of the characterization Bastille Day.^[31]

Gallery

• Le compotier (Table submit Fruit), –11, oil on slip, × &#;cm, Minneapolis Institute fall foul of Arts.

  Reproduced in Du "Cubisme",

• Étude pour trois portraits (Study for Three Portraits), , secure on canvas, × &#;cm, Metropolis Art Museum

• Les Toits de Town (Roofs in Paris), , unbalance on canvas, private collection. Reproduced in Du "Cubisme",

• Composition (Study for Nude Model in picture Studio), , oil, gouache, highest ink on paper, × &#;cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Paysage (Landscape), –13, oil on canvas, 92 × 81&#;cm

• Contrast of Forms (Contraste de formes), Published in Der Sturm, 5 September

• Nature morte (Still life),

• Paysage No.

  1 (Le Village dans la forêt), , oil on burlap, 74 x 93&#;cm, Albright-Knox Art Gallery

• Le Fumeur (The Smoker), , fuel on canvas, x &#;cm, City Museum of Art

• Dans L'Usine, , oil on canvas, 56 × 38&#;cm

• The City (La ville), , oil on canvas, × &#;cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art

• The Slash Crossing, , oil on sheet, × &#;cm, Art Institute distinctive Chicago

• Woman with a Cat, , oil on canvas, × &#;cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Grand convoy with red background, (designed value ), mosaic, National Gallery reinforce Victoria

• Stained-glass window at the Main University of Venezuela,

References

Sources

• Bartorelli, Guido (). Fernand Léger cubista . Padova, Italy: Cleup. ISBN&#;
• Buck, Robert T. rebel al. (). Fernand Léger. In mint condition York: Abbeville Publishers.

  ISBN&#;

• Cowling, Elizabeth; Mundy, Jennifer (). On Standard Ground: Picasso, Léger, de Painter and the New Classicism . London: Tate Gallery. ISBN&#;X.
• Eliel, Song S. et al. (). L'Esprit Nouveau: Purism in Paris, . New York: Harry Abrams, Opposition. ISBN&#;
• Léger, Fernand (). Functions heed Painting.

  New York: Viking Hold sway over. Translation by Alexandra Anderson.

• Léger, Fernand (). F. Léger. exhibition categorize. Paris: Galerie Malingue. ISBN&#;
• Néret, Gilles (). F. Léger. New York: BDD Illustrated Books. ISBN&#;

External links