Skating Rink drawing of the curtain of scene 1921

Editor: This is Fernand Léger's "Skating Rink: drawing of the curtain of scene", from 1921. It seems to be oil paint, maybe on canvas or board? There's such a bold use of geometric forms... it feels almost like a puzzle, very abstract, and yet there are representational elements that are somewhat hidden within all these figures and patterns. How do you interpret this work, from a formalist lens? Curator: From a purely formal perspective, consider the relationship between the geometric shapes. Notice how Léger employs contrasting colours like the primary reds and blues, which advance towards the viewer, set against a relatively neutral ground. Are these juxtapositions meant to express dynamism, perhaps even capturing movement on an ice rink? Editor: I see what you mean about the movement – the colours certainly create energy. It also appears to contain lots of faces, abstracted as they might be... a geometric crowd surrounding a theatrical presentation? I wonder if that idea informs his choice of composition at all. Curator: Indeed, consider the flatness of the picture plane. Léger minimizes depth and rejects traditional perspective in favour of a flattened, almost collage-like effect. He guides our eyes in unconventional ways that feel both deliberate and discordant. What function do you think this may fulfill for the composition as a whole? Editor: That's interesting. It does remove a sense of natural space, making it more about the interplay of shapes and colors on the surface, almost flattening each viewer into the crowd. It brings everything together, denying an individual reading in favor of an overwhelming communal sense of chaos and order, combined. Curator: Precisely. And it encourages us to confront the canvas as an object in itself, prioritizing our own visual engagement. To read it for our own interpretations, beyond narrative, based purely on its pictorial syntax. Editor: Thank you. Thinking about it this way really unlocks a new level of appreciation for Léger's composition. I'll definitely look closer at his construction in other works. Curator: And perhaps find a personal relationship in the structural construction, just as Léger perhaps intended.