Sketches after Nature 1932

Curator: Let's delve into Hans Bellmer's "Sketches after Nature," a 1932 work rendered with pencil and charcoal. What's your initial reaction to it? Editor: There's an immediate sense of decay here. The somber use of blacks on top of the exposed construction and decaying wall make me feel confined. Curator: It’s a peculiar subject choice for Bellmer, especially given his preoccupation with the doll figure. Here, instead of exploring the body, we find him examining a decaying wall overtaken by foliage. Editor: It speaks volumes. To me, this wall represents a societal structure, literally crumbling under its own weight, allowing nature to reclaim its space. Bellmer, throughout his career, critiqued rigid social constructs and the commodification of bodies; could this landscape represent his commentary on the collapsing structure of authority? Curator: It’s certainly plausible. Bellmer often used visual metaphors to express his dissent. Considering the socio-political climate of 1932 Germany, as the Nazi party was rising to power, such symbolism is not unlikely. The wall itself could symbolize the established order threatened by the rising tide of a new and destructive ideology, while the untamed plant life might stand for organic, vital forces suppressed by rigid regimes. Editor: Exactly! And look at the lines – some are defined and others are very vague and unclear, almost blurred. They suggest an active shift; what was rigid is losing focus as a more ‘natural’ chaotic thing grows and rises to the top of the drawing. Curator: The materials – charcoal and pencil – lend themselves well to this depiction of entropy. Charcoal, with its ability to create deep blacks and soft gradients, captures the texture of the aged brickwork. Editor: I find the artist's dedication to capturing realism almost haunting, though, particularly when contextualized in this inter-war moment of turbulence. The medium and subject choices mirror an unraveling sense of place in that period. Curator: "Sketches after Nature" moves away from figuration toward abstraction, becoming a mirror to Bellmer's world, marked by turmoil. Editor: For me, the image resonates as a plea. While systems crack and crumble, and disorder and the organic thrive and emerge, so long as there is artistic intent, humanity might stand a chance in this struggle to shape form.