Accession Number
1964/2.47

Title
Nature Morte

Artist(s)
Fernand Léger

Artist Nationality
French (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1951

Medium & Support
lithograph on paper

Dimensions
5 9/16 in x 8 7/8 in (14.13 cm x 22.54 cm);5 9/16 in x 8 7/8 in (14.13 cm x 22.54 cm);5 3/8 in x 7 11/16 in (13.65 cm x 19.53 cm);14 5/16 in x 19 5/16 in (36.35 cm x 49.05 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Florence L. Stol

Subject matter
Lithography, and printmaking in general, is a medium which Léger took up only very late in his career; he died in 1955. In works such as Nature Morte, Léger often returned to subjects he had explored throughout his career. This still life represents Léger's conceptual idea of creating "realistic" paintings. He believed that focusing on the simple form and color, and introducing new perspectives would allow one to find the true nature and beauty of the everyday world around them.

Physical Description
This color lithograph shows an abstract still life in warm yellow and orange colors. In the center is a large, roundish yellow shape outlined in black, perhaps a plate. On it is a red form with two protruding, spiky, fork-like prongs at each end. Above this sits a white rectangular shape with three bumps along its top edge. To the right is a long curved shape. The outside of the curve is blue, the inside white. Two additional rectangular, striated objects come in from the edges. The paper has some brown staining around the edges.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
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Keywords
Non-Representational Art
abstraction
modern and contemporary art
nonrepresentational art
printmaking
still lifes