The Watchdogs 1941

Editor: This is Conroy Maddox's "The Watchdogs," painted in 1941 using mixed media including gouache and watercolor. It's dreamlike! These strange figures definitely evoke a sense of mystery, and maybe a little unease. What do you make of these creatures? Curator: The imagery feels pulled from a very particular lexicon. Each figure acts as a kind of ideogram. The bull-headed figure, for example, is quite evocative, referencing the Minotaur, a powerful image of instinct and repressed desire within classical mythology. But here, its regal posture subverts that. Don't you think? Editor: It’s true; its posture makes it appear almost bureaucratic rather than bestial! Does the term "watchdogs" in the title add to this symbolic tension, in your opinion? Curator: Precisely! Think about the dog as a cultural symbol – loyalty, vigilance. But "watchdogs" implies something more sinister – surveillance, control. The Surrealists were very interested in disrupting familiar symbols and their associations, using them instead to tap into the unconscious. Consider how even their colours have symbolic weight: this bright blue of the sky evokes an otherworldly ambience. Editor: I see how these images create a sense of subconscious symbols working in unison. How did Maddox do that here? Curator: Maddox combined found imagery and automatic drawing. Consider the forms which remind me of horns, snouts, wings… they trigger primal, perhaps Freudian connections within our subconscious. The mixed media with watercolor further creates an uneven, dreamlike finish. This suggests that the boundaries between what is supposed to be real or not do not even exist. Editor: That makes total sense. Now, the image evokes this feeling that is difficult to quite name. Thanks, it was helpful understanding this world! Curator: Indeed. Paying close attention to how familiar signs change provides a richer way of interpreting art. I also noticed how Maddox makes us confront our preconceptions regarding their use!