Fernand Léger, Nature morte aux trois papillons,1952

08 July 2025

Fernand Léger’s trajectory was consistently marked by a deep exploration of form, colour and structure. Painted just three years before his passing, this late work exemplifies the artist’s ever-evolving visual language.

Nature morte aux trois papillons reflects Léger’s commitment to clarity, which he believed was the core of modern art. Deeply influenced by Cubism, he spent decades refining his visual language, characterised by bold forms, flattened perspective, primary colours and thick black outlines. In this composition, the viewer can see this evolution distilled. His geometric style and preference for simplifying forms are arranged with a sculptural solidity reminiscent of Cézanne. However, unlike Cézanne’s meditative interiors, Léger's still lifes were animated by contrast and motion. Three butterflies, suspended mid-flight, break the rigidity of the composition. This sense of dynamism contrasts with the static, structural elements traditionally associated with still-life, reinforcing the dialogue between nature and artifice. Colour also plays a central role in the composition, using an industrial palette that spans light yellows, deep reds and cool greens and blues.

Far from a narrative depiction, the work engages in an abstract conversation between the machine aesthetic and the natural world. Created in a time of reconstruction in Europe, Nature morte aux trois papillons may also reflect resilience and transformation. The butterfly—a universal symbol of metamorphosis—becomes a metaphor for rebirth, echoing the collective search for renewal and identity in the postwar era.

Fernand Léger's Nature morte aux trois papillons is on view until the end of August in 'The Monaco Masters Show : Chagall & Léger, la couleur et la forme' at Opera Gallery Monaco.