1941, André Masson, Metamorphoses -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label: Painter, draftsman, and printmaker, Masson played a major role in the development of Surrealism. He fled German-occupied France in 1941 and remained in the United States until 1946. Metamorphosis was a central theme in Masson's work. Like Max Ernst, who used frottage (pencil or charcoal rubbings) to unlock the powers of the unconscious, Masson experimented with methods that helped overcome the constraints of the rational mind and released the imagination. By avoiding closed or isolated shapes, Masson portrays the transformative action of metamorphosis and balances turbulence with formal beauty.
1941, André Masson, Metamorphoses -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label: Painter, draftsman, and printmaker, Masson played a major role in the development of Surrealism. He fled German-occupied France in 1941 and remained in the United States until 1946. Metamorphosis was a central theme in Masson's work. Like Max Ernst, who used frottage (pencil or charcoal rubbings) to unlock the powers of the unconscious, Masson experimented with methods that helped overcome the constraints of the rational mind and released the imagination. By avoiding closed or isolated shapes, Masson portrays the transformative action of metamorphosis and balances turbulence with formal beauty.