Fernand Léger Walking Flower 1952

This gigantic sculpture looks as though it were progressing forward with great force towards the sun. Its title is the Walking Flower. The flower petals that form its head, arms, and legs have been colored in lucid hues and exhibit lively movement. In his later years, Fernand Léger, a French painter who was active during the first half of the 20th century, worked on monuments that were designed to collaborate with architecture. Based on a model that he had created, the Walking Flower was expanded into a six-meter monument, after Léger passed away. Unlike many other artists who were anxious over the future of humanity that was moving towards advanced functionality, Léger dreamed of harmony between modern technical civilization and simple, unassuming human life. It seems that the flower, walking forward like a robot, praises the future of a civilized society abounding with strength and energy.