The album "Circus" 1950

Fernand Léger made this drawing, part of the album "Circus", sometime in the mid-20th century. It's all about bold lines and simple shapes. He really reduces the figures to these basic forms, like he's trying to capture the essence of a circus performer without getting bogged down in details. The way Léger uses thick black lines is so graphic. It's almost like he's building with blocks. Look at the faces, how they're assembled with these strong outlines and filled-in shapes. You can almost feel the energy of the circus, the way the artist simplifies the complex. See the performer's face in the bottom right corner? That expression of happiness, created with such basic shapes, is what embodies this whole piece. Léger was always fascinated by the machine age. You can see it in his hard-edged style. Other artists like Picasso were doing similar things, breaking down form and playing with perspective. It’s all part of this ongoing conversation about how we see, how we represent the world around us, and how we find joy in simple things.