Initial research and note taking of Fernand Léger exhibition, TATE Liverpool. CREDIT: Hannah Ellison and Charlotte Halsall. [19th February 2019].
Entering Léger’s exhibition ‘New Times, New Pleasures’ you are instantly welcomed with the French artist’s experience of modernisation in Paris and his use of various disciplines during the Second World War and the introduction of machinery into everyday life. He was an artist inspired directly by cubism, used both in his still life and figurative work, which created his unique style present in TATE Liverpool today. This populist, modern take on the early 1900s brings bold colour and harsh linier into playful harmony; the first image, ‘Landscape No. 2’ 1914, is rough and quick and creates a flat canvas effect contrasting ‘Soldiers Playing Cards’ 1917 on the adjoining wall encapsulates a 3D, detailed effect. Though only a few years and a few feet apart, you are already able to acknowledge his early career development, which is even further presented later in the exhibition. He delves into the modern world through various mediums including paint, illustration, photography, collage and video, acknowledging artistic developments alongside industrial.
Though Léger seems infatuated and enthralled with modern inventions and advertisements there is still an essence human imperfection up close to the paintings. This returns this lavish artist exhibition to the normality of everyday life, also complimented by the subjects of his work and TATE’s curatorial adaptations. The gallery space in certain areas for particular themed pieces has been painted bold red, blue, black or grey to both contrast and compliment the work on display. Whilst his black and white photography and film studies are presented on red or black walls, his coloured images, in particular ‘Poetic Objects’ are exhibited on blue and grey.
Léger’s ‘Poetic Objects’ follows his greater experimentation of more natural objects and various disciplines, creating a series of “insightfully modern” (Halsall, C. 2019) paintings. The initial works have features of linier and paintily qualities, no longer focusing on the machine age and still life but venturing out into a blue gallery of natural forms and shapes. He develops his work by focusing on the human figure, in particular in ‘Dancers With Keys’ 1030, which indulges in a new theme of “romantic and robotic” (Halsall, C. 2019). The painting presents what reflects two images in one; the left side made up of two impressionist-like figures, distorted and sat on clouds donned in blue cloth, almost angelic compared to the right side of the image. Here, it is an intimidating use of red, black and white shapes and line work, creating quite the contrasting painting. The placement of this painting in particular is intimidating in itself, as you enter the ‘Poetic Objects’ area it is on the opposite wall, looming over the rest of that section, which shows his developments and compositional experiments including ‘Composition 1’ 1930. His observational experiments are of dancers, and his use of colour in this painting are a much more neutral palette, suggesting rhythm and dance, similar to Kandinsky’s own use of colour and shapes; a much more comforting approach.
Though Léger’s first exhibition in 30 years should be flooding with visitors, one survey has revealed it has not been as popular as TATE thought it would be. Now whether that’s due to it being “too patchy, with several significant gaps” (Sooke, A. 2018) throughout the timeline of his career, or the dictatorship-like subject that seems to reoccur throughout, the reason remains up in the air. It should, however, be acknowledged that in the final years of his career his inclusion of the everyday people in everyday situations is with sympathy as a socialist himself, and he should be recognised as an inclusive artist who wishes for modern art to be accessible to all.
In conclusion, his influence on the next generations came early to us all, using modern techniques in the early 1900s to spark debate and fascination into the machinery and disciplines of that time. Even now he brings a new age of excitement to TATE Liverpool in what I’m sure is only a build up to his pinnacle exhibition.
HXLLISON ART HISTORY 