The artwork titled “Woman with a Cat,” created by Fernand Léger in 1921, is an oil painting on canvas rendered in the Cubism style. It measures 130.5 x 89.5 cm and belongs to the genre of nude paintings (nu).
In the artwork, Léger portrays a woman seated with a cat nestled on her lap. Both the figure of the woman and the cat are depicted using geometric shapes and bold lines, characteristic of the Cubist movement. The woman appears abstracted and stylized, with discernible volumetric forms creating a rhythmic composition. The background features a pattern of contrasting black and yellow checkered circles which appear as a halo behind the woman’s head, enhancing the central subject. The use of muted colors such as greys, whites, and earthy tones lends a sense of unity to the composition. This work exemplifies Léger’s unique approach to Cubism, characterized by a blend of abstraction and emphasis on simplified forms.
