Although he began his career as an architectural draughtsman in Paris, Fernand Léger has come to be recognized as a vital figure in the development of Cubism alongside Georges Braques and Pablo Picasso.
Léger’s earliest paintings were Impressionist in style; but the 1907 Paul Cézanne retrospective at the Salon d’Automne, as well as a new association with the Parisian avant-garde (particularly a close friendship with fellow painter Robert Delaunay), proved highly influential to Léger; his work became increasingly abstract, and his use of color became restrained to black, white, and the primaries. Despite being closely associated with Cubism, he consistently managed to set himself apart, primarily by disjointing rather than fragmenting his forms, and instead preferring bold, tubular shapes.