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Divers on a Yellow Background

A work made of oil on canvas.
© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

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  • A work made of oil on canvas.

Date:

1941

Artist:

Fernand Léger
French, 1881–1955

About this artwork

Long committed to ideals of social equality, Fernand Léger sought, especially during the latter part of his career, to reconcile modern art with the demands of a mass audience. Beginning in the mid-1930s, the artist executed many monumental works and turned with increasing frequency to the motif of the human figure, using organic forms inspired by the natural world rather than the geometric shapes of the man-made, machine-oriented one. Inspired by his memory of swimmers diving off the docks in Marseilles, Divers on a Yellow Background is one of numerous drawings and paintings on this theme that the artist realized while residing in the United States during World War II.

Status

On View, Gallery 393

Department

Modern Art

Artist

Fernand Léger

Title

Divers on a Yellow Background

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1941

Medium

Oil on canvas

Inscriptions

Signed, l.r.: 41/F. Leger

Dimensions

186.7 × 217.8 cm (73 1/2 × 85 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice E. Culberg

Reference Number

1953.176

Copyright

© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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