La Parade
Fernand Léger
SOLD
1953
Model for the poster of the Fernand Léger Recent Works exhibition, Maison de la Pensée Française, Paris, 1954
Pencil, gouache, Indian ink on paper
48 x 39.5 cm
Indication of the colors in pencil on the right, signed and dated by the artist in India ink on the lower right
Catalog raisonné : Saphire E 22
The circus is a recurring theme in Fernand Léger's pictorial universe. Like many modern artists, he often went to the Cirque d'Hiver and the Medrano circus. But the show is above all a pretext for reflection on art: it is a metaphor for modern life, as it condenses agitation and simultaneity into a single performance.
The lighting effects of Broadway shows were a revelation in the artist's study of shapes and colors. On this model, green and red spotlights flood the acrobats with formless color.
