Modern cubism in the custom oil paintings of Fernand Leger

Coming from a Norman peasant background, Joseph Fernand Henri Léger first follows an architectural training before turning to painting. This French creator evolves in the pre-war Parisian intellectual ferment, marked by urban industrial development. His traumatic experience in the trenches radically changes his vision of the world and of aesthetics. He then asserts himself as a singular representative of cubism, developing a personal visual language often described as tubism.

The plasticity of this artist is defined by an audacious geometric simplification and a celebration of the machine. His pictorial technique juxtaposes cylindrical volumes and pure chromatic flat tints, firmly circled by black lines. The artist favors a bold palette where primaries oppose contrasting values. His compositions forsake sentimentalism for a mechanical objectivity, as illustrated by the urban dynamics of “The City 1”. The integration of typographical elements paces the space of major canvases such as “The Typographer”. The light, frontal and uniform, suppresses chiaroscuro to accentuate the monumental impact of the subjects, particularly visible in “The Construction Workers”.

His commitment to an art accessible to all redefines the social role of the creator in the modern city. The aesthetic he forges considerably influences Pop Art and advertising graphics. He is today considered one of the founders of contemporary industrial iconography.

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