Les femmes à la toilette 1920

Fernand Léger made this painting of women at their toilette with oil paint on canvas, and what’s so striking is the way the whole thing is constructed from these almost architectural forms. I’m thinking about Léger, there in his studio, wrestling with those shapes, pushing them around the canvas until they clicked into place. It’s like he’s building a world out of geometry, but he's also hinting at something intimate and personal. He might be thinking of Cezanne. Those blacks are really strong - almost like bars holding everything together. But they are contrasted by the bright dashes of color. This isn’t just paint slapped on a surface; it’s a conversation with painting itself. It’s like he’s saying, “Hey, painting, what can we do together?”