Tailpiece (folio 13 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)

Tailpiece (folio 13 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 seminal work by French artist Fernand Léger, executed in 1919. This piece is one element of an elaborate illustrated book project that highlights Léger’s immediate post-World War I shift towards a highly stylized, mechanomorphic form of Cubism. Classified as an Illustrated Book, the work utilizes the technique of pochoir, a labor-intensive stenciling process known for its ability to render vibrant, flat areas of color and sharp edges, perfectly suited for the artist’s industrialized aesthetic during this important period.

The complete volume of La Fin du monde filmée par l'ange de N.-D. contained twenty-two pochoirs, six of which also incorporated line blocks. This composite printing technique allowed Léger to combine the precise, reproducible outlines of machine-like forms with the rich chromaticity characteristic of pochoir. Written by Blaise Cendrars, the book merges themes of apocalyptic spectacle with the visual energy of cinema and mechanical industry, reflecting the profound chaos and rapid modernization affecting the world in 1919. This particular tailpiece serves as a concluding visual element within that narrative sequence, exhibiting Léger's geometric simplification of objects and figures into cylindrical and planar components.

Léger’s collaboration with avant-garde writers on high-quality illustrated books established him firmly within the evolving landscape of 20th-century French modernism. The visual power of these graphic prints captured the spirit of the Machine Age and influenced subsequent generations of designers. This particular edition of the Illustrated Book is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it serves as a key example of Léger’s graphic explorations into the nature of modernity.