The level crossing (final state) 1919

Fernand Léger made this painting with oil on canvas, and it's buzzing with industrial energy. Look at the composition – the artist is clearly trying to create an exciting moment. He’s playing with a simple, striking palette of primary colors, intermixed with blacks, whites, browns, and greens, and arranging the shapes into something we recognise as modern life. I wonder what it was like for Léger back then, trying to capture the speed and the rhythm of this new world. Imagine him standing there, brush in hand, thinking about machines and movement. The textures he’s created almost seem to vibrate with energy. There's something about the arrow in the square that fascinates me – it's so direct, yet it’s surrounded by so much playful ambiguity. Léger is in conversation with the Cubists, but he's also pushing things forward, towards something more streamlined, more dynamic. Ultimately, what Léger has created here is a space for us to wonder about where we're headed.