Le Damier jaune 1918

Fernand Léger made 'Le Damier jaune' with oil paint, and the way he plays with these geometric shapes and bold colors, it feels like a construction site. I can almost see Léger in his studio, stepping back, squinting, layering on these strokes of red, black, and that pop of yellow checkerboard. What was he thinking, right? Maybe about the city, machines, or just the joy of putting paint on canvas. I bet he worked and reworked this piece until it sang. See how some of the paint is smooth, other parts are built up? It’s like he’s building this world, brick by brick, with each brushstroke a deliberate choice. Painters are always looking at each other, riffing on ideas. Léger was surely looking at Cubism, but he's doing his own thing, making it bolder, more graphic. It's like saying, "Yeah, I see you, Picasso, but check this out!" It’s all one big conversation. And even now, it is speaking to us. It's a painting that stays open, inviting us to see something new each time.