Fernand LEGER

One of the major visual artists of the 20th century, Fernand Léger (1881-1955)is today recognized in art history mostly for his early cubist compositions, which are regarded every bit as important as Pablo Picasso’s.  Leger’s style however evolved tremendously; and his recognizable use of simplified geometric shapes became his brand, so to speak.  At times naïve in nature, his compositions tend to focus on modern life, which Léger often depicted with optimism.  Despite straddling two World Wars, Léger generally focused on the good nature of his society.  As a printmaker, Léger worked mostly in color lithography, applying broad color strokes in the background, while creating the composition in saturated black lines in the foreground.