The Hydra 1955

"The Hydra" (1955) is an etching by French artist Germaine Richier, known for her sculptural and graphic work exploring themes of the human form and the grotesque. The artwork depicts a figure with a monstrous, multi-limbed head, suggesting a fusion of human and animalistic elements. The figure is depicted in a skeletal, almost transparent form, referencing anatomical and biological themes that recur in Richier's work. The etching's stark lines and tonal contrasts create a sense of both vulnerability and power, characteristic of Richier's art.