Leading Ladies

“If pictorial expression has changed, it is because modern life has necessitated it.”

- Fernand Léger

In the early to mid twentieth century, the cubism and expressionism movements emerged creating a new style of art as a response to realism. This allowed for the next generation of artists to redefine art as they rejected the definition of the past. Fernand Léger was one of these artists and sought to showcase emotion in his pieces unlike the portraiture of his predecessors. Léger is known for his depiction of women as the main focus of a piece, but in a manner unlike many of his contemporaries. He uses a highly particularized style, so much so that his works are undeniably identifiable. Each of the women portrayed in his works are positioned in a way that asserts a certain level of dominance, in a way that scholars have described as “powerful” and “monumental.” Their eyes are deliberate in their stare, as if it is an act of defiance. It is a new approach to painting women, as the subject has assumed power but is not a goddess. This exhibition will examine Léger’s unique approach to abstractionism, more specifically in his rendering of female figures, as one that sets him apart from his contemporaries: Picasso, Braque, and Matisse, allowing him to be labeled as “the one most truly modern” among the three.

Woman with a Cat

Fernand Léger

1921

 Oil on canvas

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1994.486

Woman with a Cat holds similar qualities to Léger’s other works and consists of a lone woman with four-fingered hands that is depicted in a mechanistic manner. Although most people have been present for this scene at some point in their lives, through the use of lines, many colors, and a central focus, Léger invites the viewer to further inspect the contents of this painting of distorted reality. Rather than detailing her features, Léger radically simplifies the woman’s face to a pale oval with a gray, petal-shaped smudge, forcing the onlookers to constantly be drawn back to where they took their initial glance, and gives the woman a sense of mystery and power. Calmness is created as the woman dominates the picture plane demonstrating a frontal direct quality to her, a quality reminiscent to that of Khafre (c. 2570 BC).

Nude in an Armchair, Legs Crossed

Henri Matisse

1920

Oil on canvas

Private Collection

Matisse uses a more traditional approach, along with a more traditional color palette, in his depiction of the woman in Nude in an Armchair, Legs Crossed. This woman, with brown, curly hair arranged in a loose bun held by a flower pin, holds a meek smile as she sits upright in a plush, yellow chair. She attempts, with relative success, to protect certain regions of her body through the use of her arm and a green blanket. This work is reminiscent of portraits from the past as, similar to the subjects of the previous eras of portraiture, she seems to be aware that she is being painted, and is sitting fairly comfortably. 

Seated Woman

Pablo Picasso

1953

Oil on canvas

Saint Louis Art Museum

196:1953

The woman in Seated Woman is positioned in a revealing nude pose with her eyes averted from the viewer. Through this aversion, Picasso alludes to a sense of fear held by the woman towards the viewer. Her head appears to be turned sideways yet with one eye looking over her shoulder as if to suggest that while she feels exposed, she still wants to know who it is that is looking at her. A portion of her hair is held back, allowing her the ability to work or show her face without having her hair fall onto her face or to cover her eyes as she attempts to look around. 

Woman with a Book

Fernand Léger

1923

Oil on canvas

Museum of Modern Art 

959.1979

Leger’s signature mechanistic style is displayed in Woman with a Book by the manner in which the woman holds her collection of items. Her muscular arms and disproportionately-large hands clutch the open-laid book toward her chest, while also holding a bunch of flowers. As she casts a stare directly at her audience, the woman asserts her dominance. She wears a billowy skirt and allows her shiny, black hair to hang loosely, demonstrating that although having great authority she still maintains her femininity. She appears to be a woman of great prestige, wearing a large golden necklace which could symbolize an accumulation of wealth as well as be an indication of power.

Head of a woman with green curls

Pablo Picasso

1946

Oil on canvas

Private collection

Although gazing back at the viewer, this character does not demonstrate an authority uncustomary
to a female of her time. The soft, downward strokes of paint detailing her small lips paired with her
substantially bigger eyes, as well as the choice of colors, give the allusion that she is young and
impressionable. As someone in her early years of adulthood, her messily-arranged hair would not be
uncommon, and the sense of curiosity found in her eyes is to be expected. She reflects the freedom
of youth, being without care, and, thus, represents the idea that “ignorance is bliss.” 

La femme et la fleur (The woman and the flower)

Fernand Léger

1954

Color lithograph

Puccio Fine Art Gallery

The woman has a prominent role within this piece as she physically occupies the majority of the
canvas space. While there are various intriguing features to this work, the first component that calls
the viewer’s attention is the woman’s face. Her power is evident as she poses confidently in a nice,
collared blouse partnered with a sash which could indicate royal status or prestigious standing.
Although her eyes do not look directly at the onlooker, her line of vision seems to peer just past our
heads. 

Head of a Woman

Georges Braque

1909

Oil on canvas

Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris

In  Head of a Woman, Braque uses tame colors, relative to the typical Léger portrait, to reference the issues of his time as it relates to industrialism. The head of the woman, covered by a piece of cloth, is tilted at an angle and her eyes are shut tightly. Her lips are pursed as if to suggest that she is on the verge of tears. The strokes appear from the top right portion of the canvas and crash into the bottom left as if to allude to something pouring down onto her in a harsh manner.