Study for a Portrait 1945

Fernand Léger made this black ink wash and pencil work, "Study for a Portrait," in 1945. The palette is simple—a monochrome world of blacks, whites, and grays, conjured with an array of lines and forms. It feels as if the artist is constructing this image as he goes, discovering the portrait through each tentative stroke. I imagine Léger, in his studio, circling and returning to this composition, each layer emerging from the last. There's a fascinating push and pull between flatness and depth, abstraction and figuration. I am particularly drawn to the way Léger renders the hand, hovering in space with such delicate precision. You can sense the hand moving across the page to create the image with these few simple strokes of the brush. Léger always had an interest in how the mechanical and the organic could coexist, influencing generations of artists after him. These artists are in constant dialogue across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting is just one way to express ourselves, to find our own voice, and to embrace the beauty of uncertainty.