The painting Contrast of Forms (Contraste de Formes), created around 1913-1914, is among Fernand Léger's most radical and innovative works. During this period, Léger experimented intensively with cubism, but in the process he developed a visual language all his own. In Shape Contrast, everything revolves around the clash between geometric shapes, volumes and colours. Cylinders, cones and blocks seem to face each other in a dynamic field of tension. The show is largely abstracted: recognisable objects are dissolved into pure form and movement. The rhythm of round and angular elements evokes an almost mechanical energy, befitting the emerging modern, industrial era. At the same time, colour contrasts give the composition strength and clarity. Léger wanted to free painting from traditional perspectives and emotional expression, and explore how forms themselves can carry meaning and expression. Form contrast is therefore considered a key work within the modern avant-garde, which focuses on abstraction, rhythm and structure.
