A painter as well as a filmmaker, illustrator, stage-set designer, ceramicist and printmaker, Fernand Léger was one of the most prolific artists of the first half of the 20th century. His early mature work as a Cubist was marked by the use of bold colors and contrasts and a visual vocabulary inspired by industrial technology. In his later career, Léger turned to idiomatic, almost naïve depictions of human figures, in a belief that his work should be accessible to ordinary people and relevant to their lives.
Born in Normandy, the son of a cattle trader, Léger worked as an architectural draftsman in Paris while studying art. By 1908 he was a member of an artistic circle that included Marc Chagall, Robert Delaunay, sculptor Jacques Lipchitz, and the poet Guillaume Appolinaire, and through them he became connected to the Cubists. As opposed to the flat planes and neutral hues seen in the paintings of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Léger’s Cubist abstractions were devised with vivid colors and forms that had dimensionality. Soon after his army service in World War I — he was gassed at the Battle of Verdun — Léger entered his “mechanical” period. Convinced that technology would improve the human condition, he painted compositions of tubular shapes and cylinders that are reminiscent of machine parts. In other work, Léger sought to capture the bustle and brio of modern life with references to railroad stations, factories, street signs and billboards.
Léger had also emerged from the trenches with a deep concern to make his art engage the sorts of men and women he had met during the war. He sought to bring his work to a wider audience through film, theater sets and book illustrations. In the 1920s, influenced by Purism — a variant on Cubism that promoted a simpler and more direct approach to forms and compositions — Léger produced a series of paintings depicting everyday objects: a soda siphon, an accordion, a guitar and vase. The human figure returned to his work. By 1930, pure abstraction disappeared almost completely from Léger’s art in favor of simple studies of people. Their boldly outlined forms, placed against a bright background, can be regarded as an assemblage of parts — yet in these representations of dancers, acrobats and folks on bicycles, Léger seems to be articulating a kind of kinship and affection. You will see from the works on offer why Fernand Léger is often regarded as the warmest and most humane of the great modern artists.
Find a collection of original Fernand Léger art today on 1stDibs.
"House with balcony", Fernand Léger (1881-1955)
By Fernand Léger
Located in Paris, FR
Fernand Léger (1881–1955) was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker, and a major figure in modern art. Born in Normandy, he began his career influenced by Impressionism before tu...
Paper, India Ink, Watercolor
Les Constructeurs Gouache on Paper, Framed, 1952, Signed, Bold Colors
By Fernand Léger
Located in Paris, FR
Fernand Léger’s Les constructeurs (1952) is a striking example of the artist’s mature vision, where modern life, labor, and dynamic composition converge in bold, rhythmic form. Execu...
Paper, Gouache
Price Upon Request
Composition, Original Modern Still Life Gouache Painting by Fernand Leger
By Fernand Léger
Located in Long Island City, NY
Fernand Leger's depiction of a still life with a pitcher and bowl of fruit starts in simplistic and tangible reality on the right side of the composition before quickly devolving int...
Paper, Gouache
$4,996
H 25.99 in W 40.16 in D 1.97 in
Demonstration #1 Hélène Duclos, 21st Century, Contemporary figurative art blue
By Hélène Duclos
Located in Paris, FR
Gouache, coloured pencil and graphite on paper Signed lower right Unique work 1 / Hélène DUCLOS, 2016 – Artist Statement “Questioning the human condition and the position of being ...
Paper, Gouache
$800
H 9.14 in W 5.24 in
Mughal School, 18th century – Emperor Jahangir in his harem in flagrante delicto
Located in Middletown, NY
An illuminated page from a book likely in reference to palace life during Emperor Jahangir's reign over the Mughal Empire. Circa 1750. Gouache and ink with gold heightening on cre...
Gold
$1,750
H 24 in W 18 in D 0.1 in
Dries Van Noten’s table. From the Interiors series
By Manuel Santelices
Located in Miami Beach, FL
A new series inspired by architecture, décor and stylish personalities of the world of interior design. The worlds of fashion, society and pop culture are captured in the illustrati...
Paper, Gouache, Watercolor
$750
H 10 in W 6.5 in
Small, Charming, Fauvist Painting Michel Henry French Modernist School of Paris
By Michel Henry
Located in Surfside, FL
Michel-Henry was born in Langres in 1928 and has shown strong passion for drawing since his childhood. Michel-Henry is acknowledged as an important painter in French contemporary a...
Paper, Gouache
Raja Mahan Singh Mirpuri – Rajasthani School, 19th century
Located in Middletown, NY
Ink and gouache with yellow heightening on fibrous, brown laid paper with a Jaipur Court Fee tax stamp in blue ink, 13 1/2 x 8 3/4 inches (343 x 222 mm). Toning, handling creases and...
Gold
$2,800
H 18 in W 18 in D 2 in
Amaryllis, Flower Painting, Bold Red Botanical Artwork, 16 x 16 Inches, Framed
By Elisabeth Condon
Located in New York, NY
Elisabeth Condon’s Memorial Flowers series reimagines the still life as a meditation on memory, impermanence, and renewal. Using gouache and ink, she stages vibrant floral arrangemen...
Ink, Gouache, Handmade Paper
Thunderstorm Over Boston
By James McBey
Located in Plano, TX
Thunderstorm over Boston. July 14, 1930. Ink and watercolor on paper. 10 5/8 x 17 5/8 (sheet 12 x 19 1/4). Signed and dated and titled in ink, lower right; titled verso and annotated...
India Ink, Watercolor
$470
H 16.54 in W 11.82 in D 0.08 in
Georgian Contemporary Art by Eter Merkviladze - Meandra
Located in Paris, IDF
Encaustic on canvas Eter Merkviladze is a Georgian female artist born in 1999 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. She was graduated from Robert Schuman...
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
$1,150
H 16 in W 12 in D 0.25 in
Indian Dancer - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor
By Irene Pattinson
Located in Soquel, CA
Indian Dancer - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor A stoic, dark-haired woman in elaborate dress is sitting cross-legged in this illustration by Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999). Pattinson uses fine ink line detail and a vibrant pink watercolor for a splash of color. Signed at the bottom, "Irene Pattinson." Provenance: The Artist, Estate of Irene Pattinson: David Carlson; Estate of Larry Miller Fine Art, Robert Azensky Fine Art. Presented in a new white mat with foam core backing. Mat size: 16"H x 12"W Paper size: 11.75"H x 8.5"W Image size: 7.5"H x 6.5"W Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999) studied at the California School of Fine Art (now The San Francisco Art Institute), San Francisco State College and The Marion Hartwell School of Design. She was President of the San Francisco Woman Artists Association 1955-56. Provenance: The Artist, Estate of Irene Pattinson: David Carlson; Estate of Larry Miller Fine Art, Robert Azensky Fine Art. Solo Exhibitions: Lucien Labaudt Gallery 1955; San Francisco Museum of Art, 1961 (39 works). Selected Group Exhibitions: San Francisco Art Association Annual 1948, 54, 55; San Francisco Woman Artists, 1957-1960; Oakland Art Museum Annual, 1951, 58; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1960; Richmond Art Center, 1955, 56, 57, 58; San Francisco Art Institute 1959, 60. The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, 1958, 59, 60, 62, 63; Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1960; Fourth Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1963. Awards: First Place, San Francisco Woman Artists Assoc., 1957, 1959; San Francisco Art Festival 1957;Literature: San Francisco Art Institute - A catalog of the Art Ban 1962/63; San Francisco and the Second Wave: The Blair Collection Exhibitions: 1963 The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco, CA 1963 California Palace of The Legion of Honor: Forth Winter Invitational, San Francisco, CA 1962 The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco, CA 1961 San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA 1960 California...
Paper, India Ink, Watercolor, Pen
$237
H 14.77 in W 10.24 in
Blue dress : Antique Greek costume - Original watercolor drawing
By Suzanne Lalique
Located in Paris, IDF
Suzanne LALIQUE Blue dress : Antique Greek Costume Original India ink and watercolor drawing Signed with the stamp of atelier on the back On ve...
India Ink, Watercolor
$1,950
H 7.25 in W 4.5 in
Blue Thumbergia, Botanical in Watercolor and Gouache, Matted and Framed
By Christina Haglid
Located in Chicago, IL
Christina Haglid Blue Thunbergia watercolor on paper 7.25h x 4.50w in 16.75h x 13.75w in framed CMH008 Christina Haglid Artist's Statement I used to write a lot of poetry, and it has shaped the narrative process in my artwork. Now painting has replaced writing. Objects in the painting are considered like words placed on a page. I use flowers, manipulated objects, and architecture together in compositions to symbolize the subtle conversations and interactions between them. They are placed in imaginary landscapes that are inspired by actual places and travels. All the paintings are watercolor and gouache on stonehendge paper, and they are made up almost entirely of individual brushstrokes. EDUCATION 1993 M.F.A., Cranbrook Academy of Art 1991 B.F.A., Maryland Institute, College of Art 1990 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture EXHIBITIONS 2015 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2014 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2013 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2012 "Gallery Group" Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2011 “Gallery Group” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL "Meticulous Details: Conservators' Paintings" The Architrouve, Chicago, IL 2010 “Art Chicago” Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2009 “Botanica” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2006 “Botanicus” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2006 “Arts Botanica” Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, IL 2005 “Blumen: Group Show” Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2004-05 “Think Small” Illinois State Museum, IL [traveled] “Christina Haglid: Microworlds” Greenville...
Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
$475
H 13.78 in W 10.24 in D 0.04 in
Landscape - Drawing in Ink and Watercolor and on paper by Gérard Guyomard
By Gérard Guyomard
Located in Roma, IT
Landscape is an original drawing in watercolor and China ink on paper realized by the French contemporary artist Gérard Guyomard. Hand-signed on the l...
India Ink, Watercolor