The Bunch of turnips 1951

Fernand Léger made this painting, The Bunch of Turnips, with oil on canvas. Look at the blue face, the orange striped top, and the bunch of turnips themselves, held so gently, yet confidently. It’s a painting about simple forms, a bit like he's building with Lego, using everyday objects as building blocks. The colors are bold and primary, fighting for space, yet somehow harmonious. I bet Léger was thinking about how to reduce things to their essence—a face becomes a plane, a vegetable becomes a shape. What does it mean to capture the spirit of something? I think he’s asking us that question. Léger played a part in the Cubist movement, and you can see that conversation happening here, as he also shares the concerns of other painters, like Matisse, with flat color and bold shapes. Ultimately, Léger is reminding us that painting is a kind of alchemy, turning humble materials into something that resonates with our hearts and minds.