Untitled [MR141] 1937

Boris Margo created this untitled painting as part of the surrealist movement, which flourished particularly in the interwar period. The surrealists sought to unlock the creative potential of the unconscious mind. Refugees of World War I, like Margo, often turned to surrealism to express the profound sense of displacement and alienation they felt in its wake. The eerie landscape he depicts, populated by strange hybrid creatures, has a hauntingly desolate quality that speaks to the psychological impact of war and exile. These creatures seem to symbolize a world profoundly disrupted, where conventional forms and identities have become destabilized. The painting asks us to consider how political upheaval reshapes our understanding of self and place, challenging conventional modes of representation. It suggests that in the face of trauma, new forms of expression and identity may emerge from the subconscious, offering a glimpse into the hidden dimensions of human experience.