Femme nue 1921

Fernand Léger made this drawing of a nude, probably in the early 20th century, with graphite on paper. Look at the way that Léger uses graphite to build these simplified, almost tubular forms. I can imagine him, pencil in hand, circling and shading, coaxing these shapes into being. I think he’s trying to make an image that feels modern, breaking down the figure into its most basic elements. He is not really trying to make a nude that pleases the eye, but rather one that communicates something about the industrial world. There’s a flatness here, but also a sense of volume. It's like he's building up forms but not really adhering to the conventions of shading. It is as if Picasso and Cezanne got together and one said to the other, let's try to make something that doesn't give the game away too easily.