Two discs in the city 1918

Fernand Léger’s painting presents us with a world rendered in geometric forms, with the ‘Two Discs’ dominating the composition. These discs, painted with bold red and white concentric circles, evoke ancient symbols of totality and cyclical time. We can trace the archetype of the circle back to antiquity, from the Ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail, to mandalas representing cosmic order. Léger’s circles, however, find a modern resonance, perhaps echoing the gears and wheels of the industrial age, transforming the ancient symbol of the eternal into emblems of progress and mechanical precision. The juxtaposition of hard-edged shapes and industrial elements alongside this primordial form creates a visual tension. Consider the emotional impact: these stark, contrasting forms reflect the ambivalence of the modern era, a time when humanity grappled with the promises and anxieties of technological advancement. The painting invites us to meditate on the cyclical nature of progress, questioning whether our innovations truly break from the past or merely reshape it.