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A Philadelphian's take on Leger and Paris

An innocent Philadelphian abroad learns about food, French chic and the art of Fernand Leger.

Fairmount resident Anna Vallye is curator of the new exhibit showcasing Fernand Léger's work. (David Maialetti/Staff Photographer)
Fairmount resident Anna Vallye is curator of the new exhibit showcasing Fernand Léger's work. (David Maialetti/Staff Photographer)Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

SO LET me just start with full disclosure. I am not an art writer, nor a specialist in art of any kind. I like art. I have some. I like to look at it. It makes me happy. Would I ever put myself on equal ground with experts schooled on the nuances of naturalism, postmodernism and the best use of negative shape?

Uh, no way.

But when I was invited to join a group of art experts, curators and writers traveling to Paris in August to see some of the works that will be part of the vibrant new exhibition, "Léger: Modern Art and the Metropolis," opening Oct. 14 for its only American showing at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I couldn't say oui fast enough.

By the way, that's about the only word I know in French, along with please and thank you. But like just about anybody who's ever visited Paris, the city had me at bonjour when I made my first trek in 1986.

This time around, I kept my complete ignorance of Léger on the down low, at least in the beginning. During a breakneck five-day art-focused tour of Paris, I discovered why such a fuss was made about the artist Léger, why everyone else leaves Paris in August and why French chic is so elusive. Along the way, there were surprising reminders of the Philadelphia-Paris connection.

Léger 101

When Anna Vallye talks about Fernand Léger, she glows. The Fairmount resident and Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow in Modern and Contemporary Art is a specialist in Léger's work. She's also curator of the exhibit, which heads to Venice after it closes Jan. 4 in Philly.

Vallye is a mostly serious young woman whose translucent skin and quiet beauty reminded me of the Madonnas I've seen hanging in Italian art galleries. When I admitted I knew nothing about Léger's work, Vallye must have done an epic internal eye roll. But during the trip, she never lost patience.

Although there were times I was on Léger overload (our stalking included a journey to the outer arrondissements of Paris to glimpse the facade of his former studio), the more I understood about the man and the times in which he worked, the more captivated I became.

Léger's powerful role in redefining modern art by bringing it into sync with the urban environment and mass media inspires the show, which borrowed paintings, sculptures and drawings by Léger and contemporaries including Le Corbusier, Man Ray and Mondrian from such Parisian museums as the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and the Centre Georges Pompidou.

The PMA exhibit showcases 120 works centered on Léger's masterful "The City" (1919), a frenetic, oversized oil painting in bold primary colors and graphic shapes - curving smokestacks and the zig and zag of an electrical charge. It's a roiling canvas, part of the PMA's collection, that captures a city in motion, with figures in the background eclipsed by the modern metropolis. The exhibition will present a core group of Léger paintings on the theme of the city, along with film projections, theater designs, architectural models, and print and advertising designs by the artist and his contemporaries.

A painter, sculptor and filmmaker, Léger was born in 1881, the same year as his better-known contemporary, Pablo Picasso. But unlike Picasso, Léger wasn't a self-promoter. "He was an earthy man, an artist for the common man," said Vallye.

Léger hailed from simple roots: His father raised cattle in a small Normandy town. Although he trained as an architect, Léger started to paint when he moved to Paris, living in gritty Montparnasse - think Fishtown, with its growing art scene. There, he rubbed elbows with the likes of Chagall and Duchamp.

Léger's experiences serving on the front during World War I sparked his fascination with machines and mechanical forms. PMA's exhibit is designed to show the cross-pollination between painting and city culture during the postwar period. If artists like Léger were experimenting and evolving at that time, the whole of Paris in the 1920s was thrumming with change. Avant-garde activities infused the arts, culture, fashion, graphic design and advertising.

"Léger played a leading role in redefining the practice of painting by bringing it into active engagement with the urban environment and modern mass media," museum-speak for the fact that Léger redefined how a city could be rendered on canvas.

The Paris that inspired "The City" in 1919 was alive with a new, boisterous energy that fueled Léger and his collaborators - artists, poets, architects and filmmakers - to seek new social relevance from popular culture and the metropolitan environment.

This is the first exhibit anywhere to have "The City" as its focus. And you don't have to be an expert in art to appreciate it.

That elusive Paris chic and other realities

Our pace was intense as we traversed this runway model of a city, with its air of high fashion, confidence and glamour. We soaked up Seine River views and wandered into Léger's favorite haunts, like the classic brasserie La Coupole in his Montparnasse 'hood, la Place Clichy, where he became enamored with outdoor advertising and murals, and the once avant-garde Montmartre, home to the famed Moulin Rouge.

As it always does for me in Paris, a certain reality set in. French women are different. Their bones seem to be smaller, and they accessorize better than anybody on the planet. They also seem to possess that combination of come-hither vibe and aura of mystery that drive men to distraction.

I figured I could work on the accessorizing.

A few other things I learned, in no particular order:

* The French aren't down with air conditioning. Which makes looking chic an extra challenge. No air conditioning and hordes of tourists made it clear why the song is called April, not August, in Paris.

* It doesn't matter how hot you are. Don't even think about wearing shorts. As my French-speaking friend said with a shrug, "ça ne se fait pas!" (It simply isn't done!)

And while you're at it, leave the gymwear at home. As a general rule, Parisians avoid dressing like they're going to run a marathon. While you're in their town, so should you.

* If you want to blend, black is always a good bet. Accessorize with a bold scarf, hat or jewelry, and wear good shoes. It should all look utterly effortless. (Which for me is utterly impossible.)

* Taxis are expensive, so stick to the Metro. And hold onto the ticket, which you need to exit the station.

* The locals appreciate even a few words in French, so learn some key phrases before you go, and use them often.

* French bread is good at every meal, and so is French butter, which has the same effect on chic as the August heat.

This time, as with the other times I've been to Paris, I left loving the city. I know what everybody says about the French, but other than the occasional rude waiter, a Parisian has never treated me poorly.

Over the years, I've been welcomed into strangers' homes, taken to my destination when I was lost and shared adventures with newfound friends despite the language barrier. French city folks may have more style than we do in Philadelphia, but city people are city people. We recognize our own kind, whether we're wearing a beret or a Phillies cap.