Drawing of ground plan for the office of Jean Zay 1937

Fernand Léger made this drawing of a ground plan for Jean Zay's office with watercolor. Just imagine him in the studio, trying out different configurations and color schemes. There’s something almost playful in the combination of shapes: circles, squares, diamonds. It's like he’s not just planning a space, but also experimenting with the push and pull of geometric forms. The red-brown watercolor is diluted and washy, giving the whole thing an airy feel. You know, it’s like looking at a Mondrian, but with a warmer, more human touch. I can see Léger, a bit like myself, testing the waters. Maybe he was thinking about the conversation between order and chaos. How do you create a functional space that also sparks joy and creativity? It makes me think about how much we, as painters, owe to each other. We're all just riffing off each other, trying to make sense of the world through color, shape, and form. And that, in itself, is a pretty beautiful thing.