F. Leger (1881–1955) – Composition with Two Parrots

When Cézanne held a retrospective at the Salon d’Automne in 1907, Léger established his own artistic direction, writing without hesitation: “From Cézanne I learned to love these forms and volumes; he made me focus on contours.” After the mechanization of modern civilization during his Cubist period, Léger moved toward painting with greater social and political significance. In his Purist works, he began developing inspiration drawn from scenes of everyday life.

This monumental work depicts a tall, handsome youth in a striped tank top and dark blue trousers, with a red parrot perched on his crossed hands, accompanied by a girl in dynamic pose. Another girl stands nearby with a blue-and-red parrot on her hand. To the right are several straight, powerful columns, while behind them lies a deep blue curved cloud shape (suggesting a sky struck by lightning). Within these cohesive living entities, objects are transformed into forms, radiating a dramatic, optimistic power that profoundly portrays the lives of ordinary people.