La Fresnaye, Roger de (1885–1925)

French painter. Emphasizing the decorative rather than the analytical aspects of cubism, his works are characterized by bright colours, as in Conquest of the Air 1913 (Museum of Modern Art, New York).

La Fresnaye studied first at the Académie Julian in Paris and then at the Académie Ranson, where he was taught by Maurice Denis. First attracted to the art of Paul Cézanne, by 1910 he had begun painting cubist still lifes, though his indebtedness to Cézanne remained strong. Another important influence was Robert Delaunay, who encouraged La Fresnay's interest in strong prismatic colours.

After World War I, when his health was seriously affected by a gas attack, he settled in Grasse, southern France, his works showing a return to classical principles. Incapable of working on large projects, he turned increasingly to drawings.