Fishermen 1921

Fernand Léger made this drawing called Fishermen, in 1921, and it looks like it’s done with graphite on paper. Léger’s got this way of making figures that feel both solid and like they're built from simple shapes. Check out the fisherman in the middle – the way his body is constructed from cylinders and cones, it’s like he's a machine-man but also so human. The whole drawing is made up of marks that feel really direct and honest. The way he's built up the tones with hatching, and the way the cross-hatching makes this cool grid effect, it’s almost like he's showing you the building blocks of the image. There’s a strong relationship to Cubism here. Picasso also enjoyed using multiple perspectives and geometric forms to build up his compositions. It feels like you could almost reach out and touch the surface, it has such a clear, textured feel. It's like Léger's saying, "Here's how it's done," laying bare the process of making art, and I think that's pretty rad.