Automatic Portrait of the Automaton of Albertus Magnus 

In 1938, Georges Hugnet created this image called “Automatic Portrait of the Automaton of Albertus Magnus.” Look closely: its fluid shapes were produced automatically, a technique favored by the Surrealists. Hugnet was interested in conjuring images from the subconscious; by using a wet medium, perhaps ink or paint, he relinquished control to chance. The resulting image resembles a blot, but also something more intentional. It’s as if Hugnet has relinquished total control, yet allowed the image to somehow self-organize. The subject of the artwork is also compelling, as Albertus Magnus was a medieval philosopher and magician, who was rumored to have created an artificial man, an automaton. Hugnet’s work might be seen in relation to the idea of labor, or the automation of labor, an idea that preoccupied artists and theorists at this time. Ultimately, this work reminds us that creative processes can often benefit from a degree of accident, and from the negotiation of control between artist and material.