In-text plate (folio 30) 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 30) 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, created in 1919, marks a decisive turn in the artist’s output toward a purified, highly graphic aesthetic. Published immediately following the devastation of the First World War, this illustrated book captures the fragmented experience and nascent technological optimism prevalent in French artistic circles. Léger, having recovered from his injuries sustained during the war, used this project to move away from the analytical phases of Cubism and develop his distinctive mechanical style, characterized by cylindrical forms and strong, non-modulated colors.

This piece is a pochoir print extracted from the complete book, which notably features twenty-two pochoirs in total, including six enhanced with line blocks, alongside two line blocks utilized for the front and back covers. The use of the pochoir technique, a sophisticated method involving stencils, allowed Léger to achieve the clean, flat fields of intense color essential to his geometric compositions. This technical precision underscores the machine-age subject matter and the desire for clarity that defined European modernism in 1919. This technique was highly favored by the avant-garde in Paris for creating limited-edition prints with exceptional vibrancy.

The design for the artwork anticipates Léger’s later work focusing on urban life and the worker. The bold geometric layout of folio 30 emphasizes dynamic, rhythmic movement and the reduction of human and manufactured forms to their elemental shapes. Léger believed the modern environment found its beauty in mass-produced objects and functional design, a sensibility strongly reflected in the composition of La Fin du monde filmée par l'ange de N.-D. This significant example of French early modernism is preserved in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, serving as a key reference for studies on the development of twentieth-century illustrated books and graphic arts.