Gardienne des phoenix 1952

Leonor Fini made this painting, 'Gardienne des phoenix,' with oil, layering thin washes over each other to build a world of warm light and dark shadows. You can see the fine detail, how the colour is almost translucent. The artist has constructed a scene, one figure watches over an egg, encircled by birds with long beaks. Some other eyes peer out from the darkness. What are they watching for? Fini builds a palpable tension into the scene. The birds seem restless, ready to take flight any moment. The egg is held gently, protectively. Maybe the birds are the phoenixes? I wonder if Fini was thinking about other painters when she made this work. I can see echoes of the symbolist painters like Gustave Moreau or Odilon Redon, who were deeply immersed in the fantastical and the dreamlike. I think artists are always in conversation across time, inspiring each other to imagine new visions and possibilities.