Surrealist Artist Review

Artist’s Name:  Remedios Varo

Title of Artwork : Woman Leaving the Psychoanalyst   Date of Work : circa 1960

In ‘Women Leaving the Psychoanalyst’ there is a woman wearing a cloak holding a face and a basket. She is leaving what I assume is the psychoanalyst and holding the face over a well.  A part of her veil is also falling with a face in it. There are dark clouds above her. Varo’s lines are very clean and straight, everything is very geometric. The right side is also brighter and lighter than the left. There is smoke coming from the door wrapping around her ankles.

Because the psychoanalytical theory deals with making the unconscious   conscious by releasing repressed emotions and experiences, I feel that the basket she is holding is a basket of burdens and the face is her hand is that of a prominent male in her life like her father. She is dropping the face into a well because it is no longer a burden and as she releases it a part of her veil, which masked her true identity, falls with it.  The smoke seems to be leaving with her but it is wrapped along her ankles pulling her back in to release the rest of her burdens. The right side of the image, which is significantly lighter, brighter, and vibrant, symbolizes the light coming to save her from the darkness that surrounds her.

I feel this piece is very successful, even before learning the title of this piece I had a similar idea of her releasing some type of past burden. I feel the way I do about this piece because I just finished learning about Freud’s psychoanalytical theory and I have a huge interest in psychology and a tendency to relate all art to  something psychological. 

 

Artist’s Name:  Ronen Goldman

Title of Artwork : At The Chime Of The City Clock  Date of Work : unknown

In This picture there is a woman, a sack a reaching hand, and a building.

I think the photo is depicting how this woman is so consumed by her bag of burdens that she doesn’t notice the clock chime and is being pulled away by some force.

I think this piece is successful, it’s simplistic but it has a dream like feel. For example it I see it as the opposite of the common dream of someone being chased.

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I feel like both pieces have to do with stress. One is a painting and the other is a photo. Both depict a woman and some type of bag. Neither woman's face is fully revealed. In one the woman is relieving herself of a burden whereas in the other it seems she is being dragged away from her problems.