Fernand Léger
(1881-1955)
Bonne pensée du matin, 1949

[A good thought in the morning] Les Illuminations
Lithograph printed in black on chine paper
12-3/4 in. x 9-5/8 in.
Frame: 19 in. x 17 in.

Fernand Léger _Bonne pensée du matin,_ 1948#0410The poems of Rimbaud were published in 1886 under the title Les Illuminations, proposed by Verlaine after the poet’s death. In the preface, Verlaine explained that the title was based on the English word Illuminations, in the sense of colored plates, and a sub-title that Rimbaud had already given the work. The Swiss publisher Grosclaude, Éditions des Gaules, Lausanne offered the commission to Léger, in 1948 to create fifteen lithographs with pochoir opaque gouache coloring. Because stencils and freehand application of the color was used on all 395 prints in the edition, each set of prints differs slightly from one another, making the works highly desirable for collectors of limited edition prints.