Le Torchas Casqué (from La Vie Amoureuse des Spumifères) 1948

Georges Hugnet made *Le Torchas Casqué* with paint and collage on a vintage postcard, which is an intriguing way to merge past and present, surface and depth. The original sepia tones of the postcard serve as a foundation. Then, the painting feels very intentional, almost graphic, like cartoon animation cells. The figure of the “horse” on the woman’s back is a brown shape outlined in black. It has a certain flatness that contrasts with the photographic elements. This tension between flatness and depth, between the found image and the invented one, really vibrates. I’m reminded of Hannah Höch's photomontages. Both she and Hugnet have this ability to combine disparate elements into a unified and thought-provoking composition. In both instances, the work embraces ambiguity, inviting us to engage in a playful and open-ended exploration of meaning.