Dance 

Fernand Léger's 'Dance' is a large-scale tapestry, a medium with a long history, though here it is put to thoroughly modern ends. Léger translated his characteristic style of painting into the woven form, retaining its bold colors and simplified figures. The material influence is clear: unlike paint, the woven thread creates a subtle texture, and the flat planes of color emphasize the tapestry's two-dimensionality. The process of tapestry-making is labor-intensive, requiring skilled weavers to translate the artist's design into a woven structure. This brings up interesting questions about the value of handcraft in the age of mechanical reproduction, and the social context of production. While Léger was interested in the machine age, here the hand-made qualities of the tapestry offer a counterpoint to industrial aesthetics. The significance of 'Dance' lies in its fusion of modern design with traditional craftsmanship, blurring the boundaries between fine art and craft. This piece invites us to consider the labor, materials, and processes that give meaning to art.