Plate (folio 27 verso) from La Fin du monde filmée par l'ange de N.-D. (The End of the World Filmed by the Angel of Notre Dame)

Plate (folio 27 verso) from La Fin du monde filmée par l'ange de N.-D. (The End of the World Filmed by the Angel of Notre Dame) is a powerful example of early Modernist graphic design by Fernand Léger, created in 1919. Classified as an Illustrated Book, the complete publication features twenty-two pochoirs designed to accompany a text that explores the cinematic and industrial anxieties of the post-World War I era. This particular folio sheet uses the pochoir technique, a precise stenciling process often favored by the French avant-garde for its ability to lay down large, saturated fields of color with mechanical uniformity.

The work combines the pochoir application with line block printing, allowing Léger to impose the structure of geometric design onto the hand-colored fields. This fusion of techniques emphasizes the artist’s characteristic style, which was evolving beyond Cubism toward a focus on tubular forms, primary colors, and a celebration of machine aesthetics. Léger’s vision for La Fin du monde translated the era’s apocalyptic title not into romantic drama, but into a series of highly structured, dynamic compositions that reflect the mechanical energy he observed in contemporary urban environments.

The production of these high-quality prints placed Léger firmly within the Parisian artistic milieu, demonstrating his engagement with literary figures while expanding the definition of fine art printing. The Illustrated Book format allowed him to disseminate his radical aesthetic principles widely. The work’s cultural and historical significance stems from its creation in 1919, a pivotal year when artists across Europe were grappling with the implications of industrial warfare and the rise of mass culture.

This key piece of French Modernism is preserved in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where it serves as a crucial reference point for understanding the transition from early abstraction to Purism. Although many original impressions of these prints remain secured in institutional collections, the historical nature of such early 20th-century works allows their foundational visual principles to enter the public domain, ensuring continued accessibility for academic study and appreciation.