費爾南·雷捷

Galerie L'Effort Moderne (Léonce Rosenberg), Paris
Langa-Jansen Collection, Denmark
Private Collection, Scandinavia (acquired from the above in 1960. Sold: Christie’s, London, 21st June 1993, lot 28)
Sale: Christie's, London, 8th December 1999, lot 5
Private Collection, California (purchased at the above sale. Sold: Christie’s, New York, 6th November 2008, lot 5)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Georges Bauquier, Fernand Léger, catalogue raisonné 1920-1924, Paris, 1992, no. 375, illustrated in colour p. 306

The canvas is unlined. There is some small retouchings to all four edges and some very fine retouched craquelure in the white of the bottle visible under ultra-violet light. Apart from some very fine craquelure in the red pigments, this work is in very good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although slightly less yellow in the original.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Nature morte is an outstanding example of Fernand Léger's style in the 1920s. The elegant composition relies upon complex arrangements of geometric and stylised forms. The modernism of his earlier mechanical works is retained, but the inclusion of the vase, bottle and fruit shows Léger's revival of figurative elements, which he reincorporated into his œuvre (fig. 1). He later recalled: ‘I needed a rest, to breathe a little. After the dynamism of the mechanical phase, I felt, as it were, a need for the static quality of the large forms that were to follow. Earlier I had broken up the human body. Now I began to put it together again. Since then I have always used the human form. Later it developed, slowly, towards a more realistic, less schematic representation’ (quoted in Jean Cassou & Jean Leymarie, Fernand Léger: Drawings and Gouaches, London, 1973, p. 47).

Léger explained his essential aesthetic as follows: ‘I apply the law of contrasts... I organize the opposition of contrasting values, lines, and curves. I oppose curves to straight lines, flat surfaces to molded forms, pure local colors to nuances of grey. These initial plastic forms are either superimposed on objective elements or not, it makes no difference to me. There is only a question of variety’ (quoted in Edward F. Fry (ed.), Fernand Léger: The Functions of Painting, New York, 1973, pp. 24-25). He went on to further propose that ‘Modern Man lives more and more in a preponderantly geometric order. All mechanical and industrial human creation is subject to geometric forces’ (quoted in ibid., p. 52). These ideas are encapsulated by Nature morte, in which the objects themselves share decorative patterning, rich colours and where intricate forms are surrounded by increasingly abstracted forms that enhance the carefully composed asymmetry.

The still-life became the predominant mode of representation for Léger during the 1920s. He introduced a variety of everyday objects that shared the pictorial space equally with each other and the non-specific background elements. Importantly it was also the period in which he advanced his creative interest in cinematography. Léger wrote about this development: ‘In 1923-24 I painted some pictures in which the only ‘active’ elements were objects removed from their atmosphere and with no relationship to each other. My idea was to replace subject-matter with objects which had been overlooked and neglected. Starting from there, I took objects which had served in my pictures and transposed them to the screen, setting them in motion and giving them a deliberately contrived rhythm, so that the whole thing should be harmonious.’

Continuing to explain the importance of film for his painted œuvre Léger wrote: ‘I produced a vitally plastic imagery. Great use of close-ups - the true cinematographic discovery. Even a part of an object has its value. By isolating it one increases the individuality. Through this work I came to realise that objectivity was a truly modern and entirely new value. A whole new realism resides in the way one envisages either an object or one of its parts’ (quoted in Douglas Cooper, Fernand Léger et le nouvel espace, Geneva & Paris, 1949, p. X). The static composition of Nature morte owes much to Léger’s experimentation and admiration for cinema - an element recurrent in his finest works of the period (fig. 2) - the thick celluloid black frames and vinylic sheen of the colours seem to be reference to his source of inspiration.