Lot 42 D

“Léger now no longer sees his goal as evoking dynamism. Instead, in the face of the gruellingly hectic nature of modern life, he seeks to create contemplative points of calm […] From the very beginning, Léger was convinced that it is art's task to support the modern individual, whose religious connections have been lost, in the search for a 'substitute for the fading religion'. Art is to bring about a 'cult of beauty' that will mean an improvement in the quality of working people's lives. […] The direct stimulus for Léger's renewed consideration of his art's function was surely his political engagement since the early thirties. He belonged to the Association d'Ecrivains et Artistes Révolutionnaires, founded in 1932, as well as the Maison de la Culture (founded in 1934) - both of which were organisations whose goal was primarily to present culture to proletarian workers” (Ina Conzen-Meairs, Revolution und Tradition, in: Fernand Léger. Zeichnungen, Bilder, Zyklen 1930-1955, exh. cat. Staatsgalerie Stuttgart 1988, p. 13).
The type of composition and the pictorial elements in “Deux cordages sur fond bleu” are reminiscent of designs for wall paintings that Léger carried out in 1935 and 1936. The pictorial elements - some abstract and some based on representational objects - and their floating in an undefined space are characteristic of this period. The composition is distinguished by an exceptional clarity; the rhythm of the picture simultaneously brings movement and order to the figures in space. Colour, form and object merge into the contemplative unity that Léger sought and which is intended to help viewers achieve a new, previously unknown perspective on the real world.