Alienation 1941

Conroy Maddox painted *Alienation*, using watercolor, with no known date. The painting’s composition is defined by surreal shapes and juxtaposed colors. A box-like structure, topped with a chair, sits to the left, while abstract figure-like forms occupy the right side. Delicate white lines intersect the composition, creating an ambiguous sense of space. Maddox was interested in subverting our expectations of the everyday. The artwork challenges conventional ways of seeing, drawing on dreamlike imagery and the unconscious to unlock new meanings. Here, Maddox employs the surrealist strategy of estrangement. He presents a world that is familiar yet defamiliarized. The result destabilizes fixed meanings and categories. The painting’s title, *Alienation*, suggests a sense of isolation. This feeling is amplified by the forms within the composition, which seem disconnected from each other and from any recognizable reality. This challenges the viewer to reflect on our own sense of connection. It is an exploration of the human condition, presented through a unique visual language.