Untitled (Variations around La Poupée) 1934

Editor: Here we have Hans Bellmer's "Untitled (Variations around La Poupee)" from 1934, done with pencil and pastel. It strikes me as both whimsical and deeply unsettling, like a deconstructed dream. The figures seem almost anatomical but playfully arranged. What are your thoughts on this drawing? Curator: Unsettling is spot on, I think! It’s like Bellmer took the innocence of a child's doll and plunged it into the subconscious. The loose sketching, the distorted forms… it's less about accurate representation and more about capturing a feeling, wouldn’t you say? German Expressionism had this fascination with raw emotion. Does it resonate with that, for you? Editor: Absolutely! The distortion feels very expressionistic, that inner turmoil made visible. But there's also something very Surrealist about it, this bizarre reassembling of the body. It’s provocative and strangely beautiful. Curator: Beautiful in a disturbing way, perhaps? Bellmer's dolls were often seen as critiques of the idealized female form, turning beauty into something monstrous and fragmented. The pencil and pastel seem perfect for that effect, don’t they? Soft, yet capable of harsh lines and shadows. Did you get that? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't thought about it as a critique of the female form. I was more caught up in the overall sense of unease and the almost dreamlike quality of it. Curator: It works on many levels. Bellmer layers his meaning. And that’s the great thing about art isn't it? We each bring our own history, to complete a part of his narrative, perhaps. I came to see the figure in a completely new way! Editor: Me too! Thanks, this has completely shifted my perception of Bellmer’s intention!