Double page plate (folios 7 verso and 8) from La Fin du monde filmée par l'ange de N.-D. (The End of the World Filmed by the Angel of Notre Dame)

The Double page plate (folios 7 verso and 8) from La Fin du monde filmée par l'ange de N.-D. (The End of the World Filmed by the Angel of Notre Dame) by Fernand Léger is a seminal example of the illustrated book genre from the French avant-garde. Executed in 1919, this important work marries technological aesthetics with advanced printmaking methods, establishing a benchmark for Modernist graphic arts in the post-war era.

The piece utilizes a sophisticated combination of line block and pochoir techniques. Line block printing provided the structural contours and definition, while the pochoir method—a specialized stencil process—enabled Léger to apply flat, saturated fields of color rapidly and with graphic precision. This technique was highly favored by artists of the period for its ability to produce bold, poster-like imagery, moving away from the subtleties of traditional etching.

Léger, a central figure in 1919 French art, embraced the visual language of mechanics and industry following his wartime experiences. The vibrant double page spread reflects his enduring fascination with the fragmentation of form, the dynamism of cinema, and the geometric precision of the machine age. The narrative of La Fin du monde is matched by a deliberately simplified, tubular aesthetic, where figures and objects are reduced to their primary components, an extension of his pioneering work in Cubism.

As an illustrated book, the entire volume, which contained twenty-two pochoirs in total, underscores the shift among Parisian artists towards disseminating their concepts through accessible, reproducible media. The prints were designed not merely to accompany text but to function as visual analogs to the revolutionary ideas being explored. This significant example of Léger’s graphic output is preserved in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, underscoring its historical importance as a transitional work in the history of 20th-century prints and publishing.