Still Life

1913
Not on view
With few exceptions, the objects on the table defy identification. Léger did not aim for a descriptive rendering of things, but rather, scintillating optical vibrancy. In his studies for the Contrasts of Forms series, Léger transformed traditional chiaroscuro. Instead of modeling with intermediary tones, he juxtaposed strokes of black and white (shadow and highlight) and circumscribed them with black contour lines.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Still Life
  • Artist: Fernand Léger (French, Argentan 1881–1955 Gif-sur-Yvette)
  • Date: 1913
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor on paper
  • Dimensions: 18 1/2 × 23 in. (47 × 58.4 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, 2016
  • Object Number: 2016.237.28
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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