“Femme au repos,” a cubist nude painting created by Le Corbusier in 1940, exemplifies the artist’s contribution to the Cubism art movement. The artwork captures an abstract representation of the human form, portrayed through geometric shapes and bold lines.
In the artwork, the figures are rendered using a limited but vibrant color palette, showcasing hues of yellow, pink, blue, and green. These colors and the use of distorted forms emphasize the cubist style, breaking the traditional representation of the human body. The dominant use of curvilinear and rectilinear lines, along with the overlapping shapes, creates a dynamic composition. The piece embodies a sense of repose and relaxation, as implied by its title, “Femme au repos,” which translates to “Woman at Rest.” This artwork, being a product of the early 1940s, reflects the avant-garde tendencies of its time, merging the abstract with emotional expression.
