Woman Machine-Gunner in a State of Grace 1954

Hans Bellmer made this print, Woman Machine-Gunner in a State of Grace, with etching. It’s hard to know exactly when, but Bellmer was working with similar themes from the 30’s until his death in the 70s. The etching process allows for this very fine, almost tentative line, and Bellmer uses it to map a body in the most abstract and vulnerable way. Look at how he combines the crisp lines with soft tones of grey wash around the figure's perimeter. This contrast gives the work a ghostly, ethereal quality. Bellmer uses line to dissect the form, hinting at volume while also flattening the image. The result is a sense of simultaneous construction and deconstruction, which chimes with Picasso’s cubist portraits, though Bellmer’s surreal, sexualized imagery is very much his own. The tension between precision and fluidity is palpable, inviting us to consider how bodies, both real and imagined, are constructed and experienced.