From a well train architecture to cubism painter.

Léger was born in Argentan, Orne, Basse-Normandie (France), where his father raised cattle. Fernand Léger as a painter initially trained as an architect but soon became a painter and developed the principle of cubism. In 1900 he moved to Paris, where he supported himself as an architectural draftsman. After military service in Versailles in 1902-1903, he enrolled at the School of Decorative Arts.

The painter began his career only at the age of 25. At this point his work showed the influence of Impressionism. His major painting of this period is Nudes in the Forest (1909-10), in which Léger displayed a personal form of Cubism-. In 1910 he joined with several other artists to form an offshoot of the Cubist movement. He started as a painter only at the age of 25. At this point his work showed the influence of Impressionism.
Leger came to the United States in 1940 to escape the German forces in Paris.

Gouache, brush and Indian ink on paper
17.5 x 13.9 in (44.5 x 35.2 cm)