The Doll (Maquette for The Doll's Games) 1938

Hans Bellmer created this image, *The Doll (Maquette for The Doll's Games)* using photography. It's one of those images that kind of sticks with you. The pale, almost sickly color palette really sets a mood. It's unsettling, but also, strangely delicate. You can see the textures and the way the light catches on the doll's skin. The surface has that slightly rough, uneven quality that makes you think about the real, physical process that went into making it. There’s one mark in particular, just above the belly. It's dark and almost looks like a scar or some kind of damage. In a way, it reminds you how Bellmer was really playing with ideas about the body. Bellmer, like some other artists, was interested in the Surrealist movement. You can see this in the way he challenges our ideas about beauty. It's this ongoing conversation about what art can be and what it can show us.