The Siesta

Fernand Léger

1922 · Graphite on tan wove paper · Modern and Contemporary Art

Despite Léger’s commitment to the modern machine age, his images of monumental female nudes, languishing in closed interiors, are decidedly old-fashioned. Here, a strangely disjointed nude is shown reclining behind two standing figures. Their skirts blend to form a fluted column, a favorite motif of the Purists, used variously as a building, a drinking glass, or drapery folds. Variations on the same composition dominated Léger’s postwar image making. His precise, uniform modeling and use of a drawing compass and ruler were techniques that denied the individuality of the artist’s hand in favor of standardized application.

Artist

Fernand Léger

Date

1922

Medium

Graphite on tan wove paper

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, 2016