The Easel

Fernand Léger and the Rise of the Man-Machine

Anxiety about technological change isn’t new – it was also around in the early 1900’s. Leger was an optimist, believing that infinitely adaptable machines could bring harmony to society. His own role would be to communicate this with art accessible to the public. “I prefer Léger’s work … when it hums away in the space between the mechanic and the organic. This is when Léger functions as a mythic oracle of our times.”