.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The present painting is among the earliest of Lger's Contraste de formes, a revolutionary series of pictures the artist began in 1913 and which was to influence the course of his work for the next two decades. Working with thick paint and rough canvas, the artist quickly applied combinations of primary colors in prismatic and geometric patterns. The Contraste de formes are Lger's earliest purely abstract pictures; they constituted a major development in the history of Cubism. As John Golding has explained:
During 1913, Lger produced a series of paintings which he called simply, (or, occasionally, elements geometriques) in which the representational element is completely absent. Contemporary with these paintings, however, and closely related to them, are others which have specific subjects, although even these paintings are less immediately legible than most of Lger's work that have precede them. The Contraste de formes are composed of contrasting shapes, some cylindrical and solid, others flat and angular; some are large and others small. All are outlined boldly in black, an are brightly colored, generally in primary colors. There is no consistent source of illumination, but the use of vigorous white highlights enhances the solidity of the cylindrical and tubular movement which was one of the aims of Lger's art; as opposed to the Futurists, however, Lger achieves this sensation by purely pictorial means, and never resorts to the device of showing a solid form in successive stages of movement. (J. Golding, Cubism, A History and an Analysis 1907-1914, New York, 1959, p. 177)
(fig. 1) Fernand Lger in Constanin Brancusi's studio circa 1922 (Photographed by Constantin Bracusi)
During 1913, Lger produced a series of paintings which he called simply, (or, occasionally, elements geometriques) in which the representational element is completely absent. Contemporary with these paintings, however, and closely related to them, are others which have specific subjects, although even these paintings are less immediately legible than most of Lger's work that have precede them. The Contraste de formes are composed of contrasting shapes, some cylindrical and solid, others flat and angular; some are large and others small. All are outlined boldly in black, an are brightly colored, generally in primary colors. There is no consistent source of illumination, but the use of vigorous white highlights enhances the solidity of the cylindrical and tubular movement which was one of the aims of Lger's art; as opposed to the Futurists, however, Lger achieves this sensation by purely pictorial means, and never resorts to the device of showing a solid form in successive stages of movement. (J. Golding, Cubism, A History and an Analysis 1907-1914, New York, 1959, p. 177)
(fig. 1) Fernand Lger in Constanin Brancusi's studio circa 1922 (Photographed by Constantin Bracusi)