Fernand Léger
French, 1881­1955
Sketch for the Railway Crossing
1919
Oil on canvas
53.8 x 64.8 cm
Joseph Winterbotham Collection, gift of Mrs. Patrick Hill in memory of Rue Winterbotham Carpenter, 1953.341
© 1995 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York  / SPADEM, Paris

Railroad or street safety crossing signs suggested this painting to the artist Léger, who was fascinated by his own time, the early twentieth century. He thought machines and what they made were as important for artists to paint as people or nature. The bright, cheerful colors express his optimism about the modern industrial age.

Where did Léger place a shape that looks like railroad tracks? What is the arrow aimed at?