ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Bargeman

1918
Not on view
Along with Picasso, Braque, and Gris, Fernand Léger ranks among the foremost Cubist painters. By 1912, he had developed his own adaptation of Cubism. Utilizing pure color, he simplified the forms in his pictures into geometric components of the cone, cube, and sphere, leaving their contours unbroken. Leger was also fascinated by machines and modern technology. The Bargeman, which shows a boat set against a background dominated by the facades of houses, provided the artist with the opportunity to combine several of his favorite themes: motion, the city, and men at work. With colorful and overlapping disks, cylinders, cones, and diagonals, Léger presents a syncopated, abstract equivalent of the visual impressions of a man traveling along the Seine through Paris. All that can be seen of the bargeman, however, are his tube-like arms, in the upper part of the composition, which end in metallic-looking claws.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Bargeman
  • Artist: Fernand Léger (French, Argentan 1881–1955 Gif-sur-Yvette)
  • Date: 1918
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 19 1/4 × 21 3/8 in. (48.9 × 54.3 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, 1998
  • Object Number: 1999.363.35
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Six Designs for Abstract Wall Decorations, Fernand Léger French, Graphite and gouache
Six Designs for Abstract Wall Decorations
Fernand Léger
ca. 1940–1955
'Starfish and Swimmers': Design for a Mosaic or Mural, Fernand Léger French, Brush and yellow, red, green and beige wash, and graphite
'Starfish and Swimmers': Design for a Mosaic or Mural
Fernand Léger
ca. 1942
Mechanical Elements, Fernand Léger French, Oil on canvas
Mechanical Elements
Fernand Léger
1920
Rooftops, Fernand Léger French, Ink and opaque watercolor on paper
Rooftops
Fernand Léger
1915
The Builders, Fernand Léger French, Oil on canvas
The Builders
Fernand Léger
1920

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.