Untitled (Variations around La Poupée) 1934

Hans Bellmer made this "Untitled (Variations around La Poupée)" drawing with graphite, building it up line by line. I can imagine him in his studio coaxing it into being through trial, error, and intuition. There's this shadowy arched brick structure looming in the background, almost like a portal into another world. And then these large leaves, maybe a little menacing, framing the scene. I wonder what Bellmer was thinking. I can imagine him being fascinated by the tension between the artificial and the organic, the way they intertwine and distort each other. The physicality of the medium creates this sense of unease. Look at the way the graphite is layered. See how a spider emerges from a dark smudge. It’s through gestures like this that Bellmer communicates feeling. This drawing chimes with other artists who explored the darker sides of the human psyche, like Goya, or Louise Bourgeois, but Bellmer is doing his own thing, adding to a conversation that’s been going on for centuries. Artists keep the conversation alive, inspiring each other across time. Bellmer’s work embraces ambiguity, and ultimately invites endless interpretations.