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The Siesta

1922
Not on view
Despite Léger’s commitment to the modern machine age, his images of monumental female nudes, languishing in closed interiors, are decidedly old-fashioned. Here, a strangely disjointed nude is shown reclining behind two standing figures. Their skirts blend to form a fluted column, a favorite motif of the Purists, used variously as a building, a drinking glass, or drapery folds. Variations on the same composition dominated Léger’s postwar image making. His precise, uniform modeling and use of a drawing compass and ruler were techniques that denied the individuality of the artist’s hand in favor of standardized application.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Siesta
  • Artist: Fernand Léger (French, Argentan 1881–1955 Gif-sur-Yvette)
  • Date: 1922
  • Medium: Graphite on tan wove paper
  • Dimensions: 18 3/4 × 24 3/4 in. (47.6 × 62.9 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection, Gift of Leonard A. Lauder, 2016

  • Object Number: 2016.237.9
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

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Six Designs for Abstract Wall Decorations, Fernand Léger French, Graphite and gouache
Six Designs for Abstract Wall Decorations
Fernand Léger
ca. 1940–1955
'Starfish and Swimmers': Design for a Mosaic or Mural, Fernand Léger French, Brush and yellow, red, green and beige wash, and graphite
'Starfish and Swimmers': Design for a Mosaic or Mural
Fernand Léger
ca. 1942
The Bargeman, Fernand Léger French, Oil on canvas
The Bargeman
Fernand Léger
1918
Mechanical Elements, Fernand Léger French, Oil on canvas
Mechanical Elements
Fernand Léger
1920
Rooftops, Fernand Léger French, Ink and opaque watercolor on paper
Rooftops
Fernand Léger
1915

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