L’Escarpolette III 1970

Editor: Here we have Léonor Fini's "L'Escarpolette III" from 1970, rendered in what appears to be acrylic and gouache. It's... quite striking. The perspective looking down at this figure on a swing is unsettling. What do you make of Fini's use of materials and technique in portraying this scene? Curator: What fascinates me is Fini's layering of materials here. The visible brushstrokes and the almost tactile quality she achieves with acrylic suggest a conscious emphasis on the *process* of painting itself. And then, we must consider the social context of a female surrealist working in 1970. Does the unsettling nature you noticed reflect a subversion of traditional portrayals of the female nude? Think of the labour involved, the repetitive gesture of applying paint, almost like a craftsman. Editor: I see what you mean. It's almost challenging the idealized version of a nude. Instead, we're confronted with the real *making* of an image. Do you think the materials, the gouache and acrylic, were chosen specifically to challenge expectations of what "fine art" should look like? Curator: Absolutely. Acrylic paint, especially at that time, was still considered a more commercial or "lower" medium compared to traditional oil paints, so using it inherently blurs those established hierarchies. And gouache is commonly used for posters or illustrations. The very act of combining them speaks to Fini’s project of blurring boundaries, doesn't it? It also highlights the labor that goes into creating this art. It begs the question: how does her choice of media contribute to our understanding of feminine representation and its production? Editor: I hadn't considered that. It shifts my perception of the painting. So much intention put into what, at first glance, just appears to be an innocent image! Curator: Precisely. It's a powerful reminder that art is not just about the image, but about the materials and methods employed in its creation and the conversations they initiate about society.