Léger, Fernand, Model for Circus, 1950

The publisher Tériade commissions Fernand Léger to produce the illustrated book Cirque, with both text and images printed in lithography by Mourlot. In this book, Fernand Léger compares the exciting life of the country cyclist (himself) with that of the acrobat.

The circus is a recurring theme in the artist’s pictorial universe. Like many moderns, 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.

“Nothing is as round as the circus (…) It doesn’t stop, everything follows on. The ring dominates, commands, absorbs.”

This original plate is the definitive model for one of the 63 lithographs in the book. The image is part of the episode on fortune-telling:

“Your future is in your hand, give your hand. Miss Athena, Miskouska, Dania will tell you your fate. In the shadow of the circus, at a respectful distance, the mysterious little shack has (…)”.

Vivid colors and interwoven shapes convey the intensity of this experience, where all the senses are heightened.