Dream of December 21, 1929 (Self Portrait) 1929 1929

Valentine Hugo made this drawing, Dream of December 21, 1929 (Self Portrait), in 1929 using pencil, and what a fever dream it is! The details in the hair, the skin, are worked so delicately. You can see the care and precision she put into describing the textures, but also the freedom with which she allowed the images to emerge from her subconscious. Look at the creature perched above the woman’s head, a lemur maybe, with those huge eyes, and then the weird, jeweled claws that seem to be piercing her face. It’s disturbing, like a beautiful nightmare. The graphite is applied in layers, building up the shadows and highlights to create a soft, almost ethereal quality. The reflection in the water below is like a distorted echo of the waking world above, adding to the sense of unease and mystery. It makes me think of Remedios Varo, another surrealist artist who delved into the depths of the imagination to create strange and wonderful visions. Art isn’t always about answers; sometimes it’s about embracing the questions, the uncertainties, the things we can’t quite put into words.