In-text plate (folio 22) from La Fin du monde filmée par l'ange de N.-D. (The End of the World Filmed by the Angel of Notre Dame)

In-text plate (folio 22) 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 pivotal component of this seminal illustrated book published in 1919. This work showcases Léger’s skillful use of the pochoir technique, a precise stencil-based printing method that allowed for saturated, flat areas of color. The complete volume includes twenty-two pochoirs, six of which, like this folio, are combined effectively with line blocks to sharpen the geometric forms. Two additional line blocks feature on the front and back covers, establishing a complete visual experience.

Created immediately following World War I, this piece reflects the profound cultural shifts occurring in French Modernism. Léger, having experienced the mechanization of war firsthand, translated his perceptions of modernity into a powerful, objective visual language. Although the book’s title references apocalyptic themes, Léger reinterprets the ‘end of the world’ through the lens of industrial design, reducing human and architectural forms to dynamic cylinders, cones, and planes. This aesthetic decision aligns closely with the principles of Purism, advocating for clarity, logic, and a return to strong formal structures over pre-war abstraction.

Léger’s decision to use prints, specifically the pochoir process, was intentional, reflecting a desire for high technical quality and the mass distribution of his radical visual ideas. The inherent precision of the stencil method perfectly suited his developing machine aesthetic. As an important example of the illustrated book (livre d’artiste) from the French avant-garde, this artwork provides critical insight into the visual culture of 1919. The piece resides in the renowned collection of the Museum of Modern Art, preserving this essential contribution to graphic arts history. While many of Léger's original works remain under copyright, associated materials and high-resolution images of historical prints are increasingly entering the public domain, benefiting scholars and enthusiasts globally.