Untitled (Phallus Girl) 1964

Hans Bellmer made this unsettling pencil drawing, titled ‘Phallus Girl,’ in 1964. Look at that swarm of marks, a real frenzy of lines conjuring up a figure that is both there and not there. I love how Bellmer doesn't try to hide the process; it's all right there on the surface. You can almost feel his hand moving across the paper, building up this strange form bit by bit. And the way he uses those delicate, almost spiderweb-like lines to create a sense of depth and volume. See how the figure seems to emerge from the shadows, her contours shifting and uncertain? Take the head, for example. It’s barely there, just a suggestion of a face amidst all those scribbles, yet it's incredibly powerful. Bellmer’s work reminds me a bit of Louise Bourgeois, particularly her drawings of distorted, fragmented bodies. Both artists tap into something primal and unsettling, exploring the darker aspects of the human psyche. And, like Bourgeois, Bellmer embraces ambiguity, leaving plenty of room for interpretation. This piece invites us to confront our own anxieties and desires.