Les quatre acrobates 1954

Fernand Léger made "Les quatre acrobates" with oil on canvas using bold colors contained by thick black lines. The way he uses color here, with swathes of red, yellow, green and blue, it's like he's building the forms of the acrobats from blocks of pure pigment. The texture of the paint looks smooth and the application is opaque; each colour is distinct from the next. The edges between the colours are crisp, which gives the work a graphic, almost poster-like quality. Take a look at the figure at the bottom; the way the yellow circles radiate outwards. It's as if Léger is emphasizing the strength and balance required to support the other acrobats, while adding visual interest. Léger’s interest in the circus arts and the aesthetics of machinery connects him to modern artists like Picasso, who similarly explored new ways of seeing and representing the human figure. Like so many artists, he pushes us to question our assumptions about representation, balance and beauty.