Armour 1925

Andre Masson made this painting, ‘Armour,’ using a palette of muted browns and creams, layering shapes to create something between a figure and an abstract composition. You can almost imagine the artist circling the canvas, building up the forms slowly, perhaps wiping away parts, then starting again. There are elements of Cubism in the way that Masson breaks down the body into geometric forms, but also something more organic, a kind of surrealist biology. That long, thin, flame-like shape—is it a candle? A weapon? I like how it pierces the center of the painting. It’s like Masson is searching for some kind of truth or clarity through the act of painting. There is a constant conversation and exchange of ideas between artists across time and I wonder whether Masson was looking at Picasso, or maybe even earlier artists playing with similar ideas. Ultimately, ‘Armour’ is an embodied expression that embraces ambiguity, inviting multiple interpretations and challenging fixed readings.