Peinture murale polychrome 1949

Fernand Léger made this painting, 'Peinture murale polychrome,' with oil on canvas. You can see it's a collection of flat, bold shapes outlined in black - yellow, red, blue, green – like cut-outs assembled on a grey surface. I imagine Léger, stepping back, squinting, adjusting each form to find that perfect balance between chaos and order. It’s almost like he’s building a machine. Think about what he must have been thinking as he worked with these colours, making them pop against the grey background. It reminds me of other artists exploring similar terrain – maybe Sonia Delaunay’s vibrant textiles or even some of Stuart Davis's jazzy compositions. I see Léger in conversation with all of them, pushing and pulling at the boundaries of representation, finding new ways to capture the energy of the modern world. And maybe, just maybe, inspiring someone else to pick up a brush and join the conversation.