Le Vase (Saphire 12)

Leger first intended to print Le Vase using only primary colors, plus black to provide outlines and shading. The non-primary colors, the green and brown which form and frame the vase, were to be made by combining primary colors: printing yellow over blue and red over yellow respectively. After several attempts Leger decided that the printing of the brown in this fashion proved too complicated, and so the brown became a pre-mixed color. The green however remained a combination color created during printing. Due to this fact, each impression of Le Vase is unique: some show a green with darker areas where the blue dominates; in others the yellow shows through to create a lighter tone. Retaining this idea also influenced the entire image: in some impressions the blue is lighter, in others the yellow is less bold. The present impression displays a strong consistency of coloring.