The Breakfast 1921

Fernand Léger made "The Breakfast" sometime in the first half of the 20th century, and it’s like looking at the world through a machine, isn’t it? Everything's so precisely delineated. It's clear Léger cared less about a smooth finish and more about the impact of his subject, you can tell he had so much fun with it. Look how solid everything is: the figures, the objects, all rendered with these hard edges and tubular forms. The colour palette is so reduced, mostly blacks, whites, and greys, with jolts of red and yellow that bring these shapes to life. It's fascinating how Léger finds a way to bring a sense of warmth to an essentially very angular painting. Notice the feet of the lady holding the cup. The roundness of the toes is emphasized by the fact they're on a hard, angular surface. Léger always felt art should be accessible to everyone, much like Mondrian. But whereas Mondrian was aiming for an absolute, Léger was more interested in the beauty of the everyday.