The Outing in the country 1954

Editor: Here we have Fernand Léger's "The Outing in the Country" from 1954, looks like acrylic on canvas. It's so… fragmented, but somehow also incredibly joyful. Like a sunny day viewed through a kaleidoscope. What’s your initial impression of this piece? Curator: Joyful is a great word for it, it zings, doesn't it? I find it sort of brazen. Léger's taking high and low art, shaking them up in a cocktail shaker, and pouring us something utterly new. Notice how the figures almost melt into the landscape; they're not quite real, yet incredibly present. Like memories… distorted, vivid. Does it speak to you like that, perhaps? Editor: Yes, definitely! I can see what you mean, how the people seem part of the background! The colours make the people kind of fade, yet pop with a great graphic energy. And the sharp black outlines - it feels almost like stained glass. Curator: Exactly! That stained-glass feel is crucial. It gives it a certain reverence, wouldn't you say? Like he's celebrating the everyday pleasures of, well, an outing! Though he seems to do this with his own artistic language. It’s a rejection of academic styles. To me this language feels honest in its rawness and simplicity, yet at the same time deeply cultured. Editor: That makes sense. The shapes, the colour... it’s all so bold and graphic. I hadn't really thought of that rejection, but now it seems obvious. Curator: Léger was passionate about bringing art to the people, and he saw beauty in machinery, the working class, all of modern life, but on his own terms. Now tell me, knowing that, what feeling does the artwork have for you? Has your view changed at all? Editor: Definitely. Knowing that he wanted his art to appeal to people, makes me want to keep this in mind and feel I can keep discovering new ideas by looking closely at "The Outing in the Country". Thank you, I am very glad I talked to you! Curator: My pleasure!