Fernand Léger (1881-1955) - Lavis d'aquarelle

Fernand Léger - Original pochoir in gouache, 1929

Printed by Daniel Jacomet

Edition of 1500

Perfect condition

Sheet 21 x 27 cm

Stencil 14 x 19 cm

In 1929, the pochoir was an extremely meticulous craft technique, mainly used for fashion and luxury Art Deco publishing.

The process relies on manually coloring a sheet on which the outlines have been previously printed. Artisans cut sheets of brass, zinc, or cellulose acetate with a scalpel — one plate for each shade — sometimes requiring up to 80 stencils for a single image. Using round brushes, sponges, or cotton, colorists then apply gouache.

This method yields a unique result: areas of pure color, a matte surface with perceptible texture, and gradients that are impossible to reproduce with mechanical printing. Long and costly, the technique gradually faded away in the early 1930s with the development of industrial printing processes.