Model for building the gas from France to Alford 

Fernand Léger made this mosaic, "Model for building the gas from France to Alford," using many small pieces of colored stone or glass called tesserae. This wasn't just an aesthetic choice; Léger was deeply interested in how art could be integrated into the everyday, including architecture and public works. Here, the mosaic's inherent properties – its rough texture, the weight of the individual pieces, and the way light plays across its surface – all contribute to its visual impact. Creating a mosaic is labor-intensive, requiring skilled hands to arrange each tessera with precision, and the result celebrates the beauty of industry. Léger engaged with traditions of craft and fine arts, elevating what might be seen as mere decoration into a powerful statement about modernity and progress. By focusing on materials, making, and context, we can challenge traditional distinctions between art and craft, seeing them instead as intertwined expressions of human creativity and social values.