Magic Mirror (Le miroir magique) 1927

Jean Hugo's Magic Mirror is like a stage set, painted in flat planes of cool blues, greens, browns, whites, and blacks. The paint feels thin, precise, and matte. I imagine Hugo, with his surrealist leanings, carefully planning this composition. It's like he's building a world, piece by piece, where classical figures meet quirky geometric forms. That black and white box feels so out of place, yet it holds its own. And those soft, ghostlike figures in the background, are they emerging from the landscape, or dissolving into it? There's a stillness here, a sense of waiting. It reminds me of other artists like de Chirico, who created these strange, dreamlike spaces. Artists are always responding to each other across time. Hugo is creating an enigmatic space where things aren't quite what they seem. It’s like a stage for something about to happen. What's the narrative, who knows? It invites you to linger and construct your own story.