The Mirror 1925

Fernand Léger made this painting called ‘The Mirror’ with oil on canvas. Léger is really pushing and pulling here, isn't he? He takes a scene and breaks it down into these geometric shapes and bold, flat colors, right? I can almost feel him moving the paint around, making each shape so clearly defined, so present. Like, he's saying, "Look, I'm not hiding anything, this is paint, this is a shape, this is how I see it!" The colors are so direct, not a lot of blending or shading, and it’s got this beautiful tension between abstraction and representation. Take a closer look at that thick black line that defines the side of the figure on the left. It's not just a line, it's a statement. It's like Léger is grabbing our attention and saying, "Hey, I'm making this up as I go along!" I think it's fascinating how artists like Léger take what they see and turn it into something completely new. I see some of Picasso's influence here too. It's like they're all in conversation, pushing each other to see the world in a totally different way.