The Bathers 

Fernand Léger made this painting, called "The Bathers," using oil on canvas. The way Léger has applied paint here is very deliberate. He's used simplified forms and bold outlines, as if he's building with pre-fabricated shapes, like modular components. Note how the absence of naturalistic color creates a sense of detachment, almost as if the figures are machine-made. Léger, deeply affected by the First World War, wanted his art to reflect the industrial age; this vision extended to his technique. This wasn't about virtuoso brushwork, but about an aesthetic of standardization and efficiency, which reflected his socialist beliefs. The lack of detail, the reduced palette, the almost mechanical rendering of the human form, all speak to Léger's vision of a society reshaped by technology and mass production. Ultimately, understanding "The Bathers" requires us to consider not just what is depicted, but how it was made, and what this process tells us about Léger's view of the modern world.