The artwork “The two women bouquet” by Fernand Leger, dated 1921, exemplifies the Cubist movement in its deconstruction of form and multidimensional perspective. Measuring 92 x 65.5 cm, this portrait genre piece is housed at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon in Lyon, France. The complexity of Leger’s style is evident in the composition’s amalgamation of geometric and curved elements, which are indicative of the Cubist penchant for fragmentation.
Upon reviewing the artwork, one observes two women presented in a stylized manner characteristic of Cubism, with a focus on geometric forms. Their faces and bodies are depicted with a combination of curved and angular elements, suggesting volume and dimensionality within a flattened pictorial plane. The colors are primarily muted, with punctuations of brighter hues—perhaps to draw the viewer’s eye to certain details or to imbue the scene with dynamic tension.
Furthermore, the integration of the bouquet suggests a traditional subject matter being reinterpreted through the avant-garde lens of Cubism. This is highlighted by the simultaneous front and profile views, which serve to challenge the conventional modes of representation and perception. The background is composed of a myriad of shapes and colors, further emphasizing the artist’s departure from realism and his engagement with abstraction.
Intriguingly, the machine-like elements within the bouquet the women hold imply a fusion of the organic and the industrial, which may be read as a commentary on the modern age—a hallmark thematic concern for Leger. The artwork encapsulates the Cubist exploration of form, space, and modernity, rendering the familiar as innovative through its groundbreaking aesthetic approach.
