Quote of Asger Jorn, from his letter in 1952; as quoted on the website of the Jorn Museum: 'Articles' by Jorn
• his critical comment on the art of Fernand Léger [Jorn started to follow his art teachings c. 1936, in Paris].
“

One day Pierre Loeb said to me that the ideal picture is one which is completely clear in the artist's mind before he puts a mark on the canvas, and this was, at any rate in this period.. .Léger's opinion. It is the basis on which classical art is built. Therefore the setting-down of the picture on the canvas is in itself something quite unimportant. This is connected with Léger's hatred of textural effects in painting. But I love these effects. I remember that I was once told off because I had applied a thick layer of color instead of the thin and even layer that Léger wanted. To him that was not painting but mere color. If he could have got a machine instead of a brush to apply the color, he would have done so.

— Quote of Asger Jorn

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "One day Pierre Loeb said to me that the ideal picture is one which is completely clear in the artist's mind before he puts a mark on the canvas, and this was, at any rate in this period.. .Léger's opinion. It is the basis on which classical art is built. Therefore the setting-down of the picture on the canvas is in itself something quite unimportant. This is connected with Léger's hatred of textural effects in painting. But I love these effects. I remember that I was once told off because I had applied a thick layer of color instead of the thin and even layer that Léger wanted. To him that was not painting but mere color. If he could have got a machine instead of a brush to apply the color, he would have done so." in the context of "Quote of Asger Jorn, from his letter in 1952; as quoted on the website of the Jorn Museum: 'Articles' by Jorn
• his critical comment on the art of Fernand Léger [Jorn started to follow his art teachings c. 1936, in Paris]." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Fernand Léger" (Quotes about Fernand Léger: sorted chronologically, after date of the quotes about Fernand Léger) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Fernand Léger

About Fernand Léger

Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. He started his art in early cubism and developed a style in which the human figure in relation to the modern times was his central aim to represent. He and his art was engaged with communism and with the worker's life.