The Aviator
Fernand Léger (French, 1881-1955)
Date:
1920
Medium:
oil on canvas
Collection:
Dimensions:
Framed - h:80.10 w:106.68 d:4.60 cm (h:31 1/2 w:42 d:1 3/4 inches)
Unframed - h:65.00 w:92.00 cm (h:25 9/16 w:36 3/16 inches)
Former - h:90.48 w:117.16 d:7.00 cm (h:35 9/16 w:46 1/8 d:2 3/4 inches)
Credit Line:
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
Accession Number:
1981.16
Gallery ID:
Gallery 223
After serving in the French army during World War I, Léger embraced the beauty of modern machinery and dedicated his life to creating art for every social class. He was among the earliest artists to embrace Cubism, but developed it into a personal style by combining abstract, geometric forms with populist subjects that proclaim his optimistic faith in technological progress. The abstract, circular shapes in this painting simulate the movement of a whirling propeller and infuse with composition with dynamic energy.
Inscription:
Signed lower right: "F LEGER / 20"; inscribed on back: "L'AVIATEUR / DEFINITIF / F. LEGER 20"