1881 - 1955

Fernand Léger was a French artist who experimented with several styles including Cubism and Pop Art. Throughout his career, Léger became acquainted with many great artists of the time, including Robert Delauney, Henri Matisse, Henri Rousseau and the art critic Guillaume Apollinaire. The term ‘tubism’ was coined by another art critic Louis Vauxcelles to describe the accentuation of cylindrical forms in Léger’s work. The colour palette Léger used is also quite distinctive; bold, contrasting ares of black and white, combined with bright forms often in the primary colours.

Still Life with a Beer Mug 1921

This tubist style can be seen in both Still Life with a Beer Mug and The Railway Crossing. Notice the flatness of depth in the still life due to the length of the table legs; it feels as though the table is two dimensional! And the patterned background keeps everything on the same plane, so that we almost become squashed into the scene. The jumbled up scene of The Railway Crossing is a busy composition that shows movement and dynamism.

The Railway Crossing 1919