Mechanical compositions 1923

Fernand Léger made this untitled painting with oil on canvas. Look at how Léger builds a world out of distinct shapes; there's a real sense of layering and overlapping going on. I’m drawn to the smokey gradient on the large form towards the left side of the painting. It feels so soft in contrast to the hard lines and rigid geometries of the shapes around it. The paint application throughout the piece is really quite smooth and flat, it’s hard to see what kind of brush Léger may have used, or whether he even used a brush at all. It looks like he's more interested in laying down blocks of colour in a considered way. The black and white stripes in the background almost give the impression of a cityscape, while the various cylinders and cones read like different kinds of machine parts. It reminds me a bit of Stuart Davis, particularly in its use of bold colours and geometric forms to create a sense of energy and movement. Like Davis, Léger seems interested in capturing the dynamism of modern life. Ultimately, this painting celebrates the beauty and complexity of the machine age.