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Lot Essay
Painted in 1944, Les quatre personnages (2ème esquisse) is one of a small number of works executed by Léger in which he explored not only the human figure, which for a long number of years had been excluded from his art, but also the leisure activities of the average person. While during the same period Léger painted works showing factory workers during their labours, images that were closely liked to the artist's own Communist beliefs, here people are shown at rest during their own time, enjoying a recreational sport. However, despite the everyday nature of the activity shown here, Léger has depicted these figures in his unique style, lending them a monumentality more associated with the art of Seurat than his great idol Cézanne. However, the joyous and bold use of colour are distinctly Léger's own, as he fills an everyday image with explosive colour, creating a minor epiphany, celebrating the simple things in life.
Les quatre personnages (2ème esquisse) relates particularly closely to the painting La bell équipe of the same year. Although the figures have been shuffled a little, these are unmistakably the same characters. Interestingly, in most of Léger's other oils of this subject at the time, all of the cyclists are female (Les belles cyclistes). Here, however, clean and good living are presented with the contented couples, the men wearing boaters and all of the figures filled with relaxation as they enjoy a pleasant ride in the bucolic splendour of the French countryside. This subject, which appears superficially devoid of political content, is in fact Léger's celebration at the liberation of France. Although Léger was at that time in the United States, his art made no secret of the exultant feelings he had. Indeed, his figure paintings of this time often showed people indulging themselves in recreational activities, be it diving, music or gymnastics. These themes, which remained integrally linked to Léger's interest in dynamism, nonetheless celebrated a freedom of movement that was political as well as physical.
Les quatre personnages (2ème esquisse) relates particularly closely to the painting La bell équipe of the same year. Although the figures have been shuffled a little, these are unmistakably the same characters. Interestingly, in most of Léger's other oils of this subject at the time, all of the cyclists are female (Les belles cyclistes). Here, however, clean and good living are presented with the contented couples, the men wearing boaters and all of the figures filled with relaxation as they enjoy a pleasant ride in the bucolic splendour of the French countryside. This subject, which appears superficially devoid of political content, is in fact Léger's celebration at the liberation of France. Although Léger was at that time in the United States, his art made no secret of the exultant feelings he had. Indeed, his figure paintings of this time often showed people indulging themselves in recreational activities, be it diving, music or gymnastics. These themes, which remained integrally linked to Léger's interest in dynamism, nonetheless celebrated a freedom of movement that was political as well as physical.