Cadavre Exquis 1933

Editor: Here we have Valentine Hugo’s "Cadavre Exquis", made in 1933 using pastels and other drawing media. The collection of dreamlike images seems random but it also possesses a bizarre harmony. What am I meant to make of this piece? Curator: "Cadavre Exquis"– meaning exquisite corpse – refers to a parlor game popularized by the Surrealists, where participants would contribute to a drawing or text without seeing what the previous person had done. Hugo's drawing, born from this spirit of collaborative chance, embodies the core surrealist interest in automatism and the subconscious. Do you see how the disparate images come together? Editor: Yes! Now that you explain the historical context, the arrangement does give the work an intentional meaning. Curator: Consider this in the light of the interwar period. There was a desire to break with the established order; what could be more transgressive than deliberately relinquishing authorial control, questioning the conventional art world values centered on a singular artistic genius? Editor: I didn’t think of that at all, so this seemingly absurd imagery becomes quite a statement. Curator: Precisely! It reveals how surrealism acted as a cultural mirror, reflecting a world grappling with instability by subverting the traditional art world, challenging social norms of the time. Do you find the style approachable now? Editor: Absolutely! I went from viewing the imagery as somewhat esoteric to an approach to creation rooted in socio-political concerns. Curator: Exactly. By acknowledging the societal framework, even the most surreal artwork becomes less abstract and more relatable, doesn't it? Editor: It does. Thanks, now I am ready to explore and experiment with the meaning behind abstract artworks!