Pasiphae 1942

André Masson made this oil on canvas, called Pasiphae, sometime in the mid-twentieth century. The colours are rich and earthy, browns and ochres, and the marks feel urgent, scratchy, like he was trying to get something out fast. For me, that’s always the most interesting part, the sense of artmaking as a real process. Looking closely, you can see the paint is laid on in layers, almost like he’s carving into the surface. There are areas where the brushstrokes are really visible, and others where it’s blended, creating this sense of depth and texture. The line is thick and dark, a kind of furious contouring. See how it snakes around the forms, giving them weight but also a sense of unease? It reminds me of some of Picasso's more frenetic works, the way he used line to create a sense of movement and energy. Masson was part of the Surrealist movement, exploring dreams and the subconscious. Like them, his work is full of ambiguity, with multiple interpretations jostling for attention.