GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Fernand Léger was born in Argentan, Normandy. After completing his secondary studies, he worked for architects in Caen and Paris. He also frequented the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian as an independent student, while earning a living as a photographic retoucher. Léger emerged as a distinct personality in the years 1908-9 and, in 1910, his work was exhibited for the first time in the Salon des Independants. Two years later, he had his first one-man exhibition at the Gallerie Kahnweiler.
From 1919 until the mid-1920s, Léger was associated with the Purist Movement of Le Corbusier and Amedee Ozenfant, and in 1924 he produced in cooperation with Dudley Murphy and George Antheil the first experimental film without scenario, Ballet Mecanique. In the late 1920's, Léger's style of rigorous geometric construction began to open up to new influences. Although he was not interested in the troubled psychology of Surrealism, he adopted from it the device of freely interspersed juxtapositions of unrelated elements as a compositional means.
Léger visited the United States in 1931 and again in 1935, when he exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and at the Art Institute of Chicago. The artist returned to the United States in 1940 and stayed for the duration of World War II. His sojourn in the U.S. profoundly influenced Léger's work; he was stimulated and exhilarated by the spirit of this country.
Léger returned to France in 1945. The Muses National d'Art Moderne in Paris organized the first retrospective of his work in 1949. Fernand Léger died at Gif-sur-Yvette on August 17,1955.
Adapted from
- DMA unpublished material.
- DMFA Bulletin, Spring 1982, unpaginated, no author listed.
NOTES
General Description full source:
"Primitivism Biographies," DMA research document, Education files, n.d.
From DMFA Bulletin Spring 1982, unpaginated and no author listed
Fernand Leger was born in Argentan, France , in 1881. After completing his secondary studies, he worked for arch itects in Caen and Paris. He also frequented the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian as an independent student while earning his living as a photographic retoucher. Leger emerged as a distinct artistic personal ity in the years 1908-09 and, in 1910, his work was exhibited for the first time in the Salon des lndependanrs. In 1912 he had his first one-art ist exhibition at the Galerie Kahnweiler.
From 1919 until the mid-1920s, Leger was associated with the Purist Movement of Le Corbusier and Amedee Ozenfant, and in 1924 he produced in cooperation with Dudley Murphy and George Antheil the first experimental film without scenario, Ballet Mecanique. Leger visited the United States in 1931 and again in 1935, when he exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and at the Art Institute of Chicago. The artist returned to the United States in 1940 and stayed for the duration of World War II. His sojourn in the U.S. profoundly influenced Leger's work; he was stimulated and exhilarated by the spirit of this country, which he came to admire and to understand more than many exiled artists.
Leger returned to France in 1945. The Muses National d'Art Moderne in Paris organized the first retrospective of his work in 1949. Fernand Leger died at Gif-sur-Yvette on August 17,1955.
From DMFA Bulletin Spring 1982, unpaginated and no author listed
A major exhibition of the work of Fernand Leger (1881 -1955) opens at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts on Wednesday, May 19. Organized by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery of Buffalo, the exhibit is the first retrospective of the French artist's innovative paintings to be assembled in the past two decades. FERNAND LEGER is supported by grants from the
National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
The exhib it features approximately 70 paintings, and represents the full span of Leger's long and productive career. The earliest work included is Leger 's 1905 Corsican Village at Sunset , while the most recent work represented in the exhibit is the 1954 painting , Two Women with Flowers . Also included are two paintings on loan to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Clark: Still-Life with a Lamp (1914) and Divers (Red and Black) , 1942. Both paintings are characterized by Leger's familiar use of bold color combinations in depicting formalized , but recognizable shapes.
An instrumental figure in the development of twentieth-century art, Fernand Leger created a very personal style of painting , one that remained independent and inventive despite his close association with Cubist painters and , later, the Purist Movement. In the catalogue, Edward F. Fry states: "Leger succeeded, during the course of his career, in
incorporating the modern world into his art to a greater degree than any other member of his generation." Leger's images , in fact , are those of everyday life: of the modern urban experience, of the world of machines, factories , and workers. The artist's humble origins and his political beliefs are reflected in his choice of subject matter and in his commitment to an exploration of the world of direct, visible exper ience , of objects and people rather than of intellectual theories .
In his paintings Leger used broad planes, large areas of pure color, and clearly defined volumes. His human and machine forms are often delineated by distinctive black outlines. Though never realistic, Leger's works are, with some notab le excep tions, frankly figurative, full of vigor and inventiveness, totally modern and yet firmly rooted in the French trad ition. More than half of the paintings in the exhibit are on loan from European publ ic and private collections , and , in some cases , are seen in the United States for the first time. Included in the traveling exhibit are: Reading (1924) from the Muses National d'Art Moderne (Paris); Composition with a Leaf (1927) from the Musee National Fernand Leger (Biot); Three Friends (1920) from the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam); and The Dance (1942) from the Galerie Louise Leiris (Paris).
FERNAND LEGER opened its tour in mid-January at the AlbrightKnox Art Gallery and later was exhibited at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The Leger Retrospective opens in Dallas on May 19 and will remain on view through July 4.
Screened continuously during the Members' Preview will be Fernand Leger's famous Cubistic film Ballet Meca nique (1924) , a cardinal film in the history of modern cinema.
From DMFA Bulletin Spring 1982, unpaginated and no author listed
Stuart Davis and Gerald Murphy both abstracting commercial products- likely did not know each other but similar approaches may come from their mutal interest in Leger.
Davis would have seen Leger's work in the Armory Show
1925- Leger included in Société Anonyme solo show in NYC
Fernand Leger is considered one of the great masters of French Modernism. His works illustrate his dedication to exploring Modernist principles and to changing the society in which he lived. His was an ability to communicate powerfully through colored, boldly geometric compositions which were striking. Leger drew his inspiration from contemporary life, his immediate surroundings, and the people he observed at work and play. His human and machine forms are often delineated by distinctive black outlines. Though never realistic, Leger's works are, with some notable exceptions, frankly figurative, full of vigor and inventiveness, totally modern and yet firmly rooted in the French tradition.
The artist was born in Argentan, Normandy. After completing his secondary studies, he worked for architects in Caen and Paris. He also frequented the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian as an independent student, while earning a living as a photographic retoucher. Leger emerged as a distinct personality in the years 1908-9 and, in 1910, his work was exhibited for the first time in the Salon des Independants. Two years later, he had his first one-man exhibition at the Gallerie Kahnweiler.
In the late 1920's, Leger's style of rigorous geometric construction began to open up to new influences. Although he was not interested in the troubled psychology of Surrealism, he adopted from it the device of freely interspersed juxtapositions of unrelated elements as a compositional means.
Leger knew Robert Delauney and Henri Rousseau, with the latter making a great impression on him. Leger's use of folk art subjects in some of his later work is evidence of this. Leger thoroughly enjoyed mural painting and he designed the costumes, sets, and curtains for "Skating Rink" and "Creation of the World", the latter at a time when jazz was becoming popular in Paris. His creative efforts have reverberated through the theater, cinema and the visual arts.
Excerpt from
"Primitivism Biographies," DMA research document, Education files, n.d.
ASSOCIATED CONTENT CHUNKS (list applicable note links)
AUDIO ASSETS
Artists, Mentors, and Friends: Picasso, Léger, and Murphy. Gallery talk by Shannon Karol, 9/4/2013.
13310682: UMO; Object numbers added to Piction.
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
Wikimedia commons, Fernand Léger, no higher resolution available
WEB RESOURCES
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York~Learn more about Fernand Leger from the Met.
- Art Institute of Chicago~Check out this 1953 catalogue from an exhibition of Léger's work.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES (digitized/non-digitized)
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General Description
Fernand Léger was born in Argentan, Normandy. After completing his secondary studies, he worked for architects in Caen and Paris. He also frequented the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian as an independent student, while earning a living as a photographic retoucher. Léger emerged as a distinct personality in the years 1908-9 and, in 1910, his work was exhibited for the first time in the Salon des Independants. Two years later, he had his first one-man exhibition at the Gallerie Kahnweiler.
From 1919 until the mid-1920s, Léger was associated with the Purist Movement of Le Corbusier and Amedee Ozenfant, and in 1924 he produced in cooperation with Dudley Murphy and George Antheil the first experimental film without scenario, Ballet Mecanique. In the late 1920's, Léger's style of rigorous geometric construction began to open up to new influences. Although he was not interested in the troubled psychology of Surrealism, he adopted from it the device of freely interspersed juxtapositions of unrelated elements as a compositional means.
Léger visited the United States in 1931 and again in 1935, when he exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and at the Art Institute of Chicago. The artist returned to the United States in 1940 and stayed for the duration of World War II. His sojourn in the U.S. profoundly influenced Léger's work; he was stimulated and exhilarated by the spirit of this country.
Léger returned to France in 1945. The Muses National d'Art Moderne in Paris organized the first retrospective of his work in 1949. Fernand Léger died at Gif-sur-Yvette on August 17,1955.
Adapted from
- DMA unpublished material.
- DMFA Bulletin, Spring 1982, unpaginated, no author listed.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
(digitized/non-digitized)
Web Resources
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York~Learn more about Fernand Leger from the Met.
- Art Institute of Chicago~Check out this 1953 catalogue from an exhibition of Léger's work.
Notes
General Description full source:
"Primitivism Biographies," DMA research document, Education files, n.d.
From DMFA Bulletin Spring 1982, unpaginated and no author listed
Fernand Leger was born in Argentan, France , in 1881. After completing his secondary studies, he worked for arch itects in Caen and Paris. He also frequented the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian as an independent student while earning his living as a photographic retoucher. Leger emerged as a distinct artistic personal ity in the years 1908-09 and, in 1910, his work was exhibited for the first time in the Salon des lndependanrs. In 1912 he had his first one-art ist exhibition at the Galerie Kahnweiler.
From 1919 until the mid-1920s, Leger was associated with the Purist Movement of Le Corbusier and Amedee Ozenfant, and in 1924 he produced in cooperation with Dudley Murphy and George Antheil the first experimental film without scenario, Ballet Mecanique. Leger visited the United States in 1931 and again in 1935, when he exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and at the Art Institute of Chicago. The artist returned to the United States in 1940 and stayed for the duration of World War II. His sojourn in the U.S. profoundly influenced Leger's work; he was stimulated and exhilarated by the spirit of this country, which he came to admire and to understand more than many exiled artists.
Leger returned to France in 1945. The Muses National d'Art Moderne in Paris organized the first retrospective of his work in 1949. Fernand Leger died at Gif-sur-Yvette on August 17,1955.
From DMFA Bulletin Spring 1982, unpaginated and no author listed
A major exhibition of the work of Fernand Leger (1881 -1955) opens at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts on Wednesday, May 19. Organized by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery of Buffalo, the exhibit is the first retrospective of the French artist's innovative paintings to be assembled in the past two decades. FERNAND LEGER is supported by grants from the
National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
The exhib it features approximately 70 paintings, and represents the full span of Leger's long and productive career. The earliest work included is Leger 's 1905 Corsican Village at Sunset , while the most recent work represented in the exhibit is the 1954 painting , Two Women with Flowers . Also included are two paintings on loan to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Clark: Still-Life with a Lamp (1914) and Divers (Red and Black) , 1942. Both paintings are characterized by Leger's familiar use of bold color combinations in depicting formalized , but recognizable shapes.
An instrumental figure in the development of twentieth-century art, Fernand Leger created a very personal style of painting , one that remained independent and inventive despite his close association with Cubist painters and , later, the Purist Movement. In the catalogue, Edward F. Fry states: "Leger succeeded, during the course of his career, in
incorporating the modern world into his art to a greater degree than any other member of his generation." Leger's images , in fact , are those of everyday life: of the modern urban experience, of the world of machines, factories , and workers. The artist's humble origins and his political beliefs are reflected in his choice of subject matter and in his commitment to an exploration of the world of direct, visible exper ience , of objects and people rather than of intellectual theories .
In his paintings Leger used broad planes, large areas of pure color, and clearly defined volumes. His human and machine forms are often delineated by distinctive black outlines. Though never realistic, Leger's works are, with some notab le excep tions, frankly figurative, full of vigor and inventiveness, totally modern and yet firmly rooted in the French trad ition. More than half of the paintings in the exhibit are on loan from European publ ic and private collections , and , in some cases , are seen in the United States for the first time. Included in the traveling exhibit are: Reading (1924) from the Muses National d'Art Moderne (Paris); Composition with a Leaf (1927) from the Musee National Fernand Leger (Biot); Three Friends (1920) from the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam); and The Dance (1942) from the Galerie Louise Leiris (Paris).
FERNAND LEGER opened its tour in mid-January at the AlbrightKnox Art Gallery and later was exhibited at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The Leger Retrospective opens in Dallas on May 19 and will remain on view through July 4.
Screened continuously during the Members' Preview will be Fernand Leger's famous Cubistic film Ballet Meca nique (1924) , a cardinal film in the history of modern cinema.
From DMFA Bulletin Spring 1982, unpaginated and no author listed
Stuart Davis and Gerald Murphy both abstracting commercial products- likely did not know each other but similar approaches may come from their mutal interest in Leger.
Davis would have seen Leger's work in the Armory Show
1925- Leger included in Société Anonyme solo show in NYC
Fernand Leger is considered one of the great masters of French Modernism. His works illustrate his dedication to exploring Modernist principles and to changing the society in which he lived. His was an ability to communicate powerfully through colored, boldly geometric compositions which were striking. Leger drew his inspiration from contemporary life, his immediate surroundings, and the people he observed at work and play. His human and machine forms are often delineated by distinctive black outlines. Though never realistic, Leger's works are, with some notable exceptions, frankly figurative, full of vigor and inventiveness, totally modern and yet firmly rooted in the French tradition.
The artist was born in Argentan, Normandy. After completing his secondary studies, he worked for architects in Caen and Paris. He also frequented the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian as an independent student, while earning a living as a photographic retoucher. Leger emerged as a distinct personality in the years 1908-9 and, in 1910, his work was exhibited for the first time in the Salon des Independants. Two years later, he had his first one-man exhibition at the Gallerie Kahnweiler.
In the late 1920's, Leger's style of rigorous geometric construction began to open up to new influences. Although he was not interested in the troubled psychology of Surrealism, he adopted from it the device of freely interspersed juxtapositions of unrelated elements as a compositional means.
Leger knew Robert Delauney and Henri Rousseau, with the latter making a great impression on him. Leger's use of folk art subjects in some of his later work is evidence of this. Leger thoroughly enjoyed mural painting and he designed the costumes, sets, and curtains for "Skating Rink" and "Creation of the World", the latter at a time when jazz was becoming popular in Paris. His creative efforts have reverberated through the theater, cinema and the visual arts.
Excerpt from
"Primitivism Biographies," DMA research document, Education files, n.d.
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