Fernand Léger trained to be an architect but then became a painter, printmaker and sculptor. He was inspired by the Cubism of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque and the geometric colour and formal schemes of Paul Cézanne. He developed an entirely personal Cubist style, in which he reduced reality to rhythmic compositions of cylinders, tubes and cones. While serving in the First World War Léger was wounded in a gas attack. His war experiences led to a new principle theme: the technological, mechanised world of the twentieth century. He expressed his admiration for perfection and the beauty of machines in tranquil images of factories, workers and industry.
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