Fernand Léger

Le Tronc d'arbre sur fond jaune [Tree Trunk on Yellow Ground]

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About this artwork

As an artist who was inspired by modernity, Léger loved America. When on his way to an exhibition of his work in Montreal, Léger chanced upon an abandoned farm near the Canadian border. Broken machinery and junk were piled up in the fields. In this painting we can see wire-netting in the bottom left corner. The circular shape on the left is an old wheel with broken spokes which stands next to a broken 'SLOW' road sign. One of the wheel's spokes (along with the shape of the tree on the right) has transformed the sign into what can be read as 'US LOVE.'

Updated before 2020

  • artist:
    Fernand Léger (1881 - 1955) French
  • title:
    Le Tronc d'arbre sur fond jaune [Tree Trunk on Yellow Ground]
  • date created:
    1945
  • materials:
    Oil on canvas
  • measurements:
    112.50 x 127.00 cm; Framed: 155.90 x 140.70 x 8.90 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Purchased 1981
  • accession number:
    GMA 2310
  • gallery:
  • artwork photographed by:
    Antonia Reeve
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Fernand Léger

Fernand Léger