Композиция

1914–1916

Mobilized: two years at the front

On 2 August 1914, soon after the outbreak of the First World War, Léger is mobilized and sent to the sappers; for two years he is at the front near the Argonne and Verdun, drawing artillery pieces, airplanes and fellow soldiers in the trenches and billets. He paints “Soldier with a Pipe” (1916) while on furlough.

1916

Gassed at Verdun

In September 1916 at Verdun, where he is transporting the wounded, Léger is gassed — he almost dies after a German mustard-gas attack.

December 1919

Marriage to Jeanne Lohy

In December 1919 Léger marries Jeanne-Augustine Lohy; she remains his wife until her death in 1950.

1920

Friendship with Le Corbusier, “The Mechanic” and “The Great Lunch”

In 1920, at the founding of the journal “L'Esprit nouveau”, Léger befriends Le Corbusier, who remains a lifelong friend. In the same year he paints the canvases “The Mechanic” and “The Great Lunch”, and from this year he exhibits at the Indépendants for many years.