La clef blanche 1958

Victor Brauner made La clef blanche in 1955, likely using oil on canvas. Look at that green! It's not a solid field of colour but has an almost mossy texture, as though we are looking at something organic. I imagine Brauner beginning with this deep viridian and then tentatively placing the geometric forms and pale figure on top. The painting feels very constructed; each element carefully considered and deliberately placed. The woman with the wide eyes sits calmly, but she is interacting with these strange box-like shapes that contain dismembered limbs. It is difficult to discern what she is doing; is she building or taking apart? I sympathize with Brauner, who seems to be asking similar questions about form, space, and how we relate to one another. Brauner must have had a clear vision, a key as the title suggests. His work reminds me of other surrealist painters who used unconventional forms to explore the subconscious mind. Ultimately, painting is like a conversation between artists across time. We borrow from each other's visual language and create something new.