Agathe 1947

Valentine Hugo made "Agathe" in graphite, and the drawing's delicate touch shows how process is everything. Look closely, and you'll notice the hands hovering overhead, a doll peering out from under the covers, and Agathe herself, eyes wide with an unreadable emotion. The texture is built up through layers of fine lines, almost like she’s knitting with graphite. The gray tones give the image a dreamlike quality. The dark, claw-like hand with those spirals in the foreground almost vibrate against Agathe’s softer, more vulnerable presence. Is that hand protective, or a threat? Hugo’s work, like that of Leonora Carrington, taps into a surrealist exploration of female identity, dreams, and the uncanny. It's a reminder that art invites questions more often than it offers answers.