Femme portant une statuette 1925

Fernand Léger painted 'Femme portant une statuette' with oils, and I imagine him building up the composition like a machine, piece by piece. The painting's so constructed, so carefully planned. It's like he's asking, what does it mean to represent a figure, and how can I do it in a way that feels modern, almost mechanical? You can see how the yellow ochre of the statuette contrasts with the muted browns and grays of the figure. And that line running down the middle of the face... it’s like he’s splitting the subject in two, forcing you to consider each side. It makes me wonder about the space between painting and sculpture. I wonder if Léger knew Giorgio de Chirico's paintings? I see some similarities. There's something unsettling about the painting, maybe it's that disconnect between the figure and the statuette she's holding. It’s like he's showing us how artists are always borrowing, responding, and pushing back against what came before.