At the farm 1955

Fernand Léger made this painting, "At the farm," sometime in his career. Look at how Léger uses only black lines and shades of gray: it feels like he is building forms with simple gestures. He is not trying to trick us into thinking this is “real life,” but instead wants to show us the bare bones of what he sees. The shapes are kind of goofy, like a child’s drawing. See the dog? It’s more like a symbol of a dog than a portrait, but it still has a lot of personality. The lines are thick and thin, and some of the shapes are filled in, while others are left open. It’s all very raw and honest, and you can see Léger making decisions right there on the canvas. I think of Picasso and his line drawings when I see this. This isn’t just a picture of a farm; it’s Léger’s way of working things out, finding a new way to build a picture, one line at a time.