“Mechanical Compositions” is an artwork created by Fernand Leger between 1918 and 1923, which belongs to the Cubism movement and falls within the genre of still life.
The artwork is a quintessential example of Leger’s fascination with machinery and industrial elements, characteristic of his Cubist phase. The composition features an intricate assembly of geometric shapes, including cones, cylinders, and spheres, rendered in bold primary colors and monochromatic hues. Dominant shades of red, blue, black, and yellow intermingle to create a mechanical harmony, evoking a sense of order through apparent disorder. The overlapping of forms and the precise, almost technical, application of color suggest an industrial sense of dynamism and functionality amidst the abstraction. Leger’s signature is visibly inscribed on the lower-right corner, accompanied by the dates “1918-23,” anchoring the piece in its historical context.
