La Danseuse bleue 1er état 1928

Fernand Léger made "La Danseuse bleue 1er état" with oil on canvas. Look at the way he's playing with these blocks of color, right? It's like he's building up the painting, one piece at a time. You can almost see him figuring it out as he goes along. The colors in this piece, like that vivid red and the deep blues, they aren't just sitting there flat. The paint has a thickness to it, you can see the brushstrokes, the texture where he's layered it on. This is not about hiding the process, it's about showing it off. Take that figure in the blue, she’s got this simple, almost childlike outline, but she's also got depth because of the way Léger uses the paint. It reminds me a little of Picabia, that interest in mechanical forms, but with a warmth that’s all Léger's own. Art is all about conversations, a back and forth. And this piece, it feels like it’s asking questions rather than giving answers.