Untitled (Puppet Hooked on a Fence) c. 1934

Dora Maar made this photograph, maybe without even planning to, of a puppet hooked on a fence. It is melancholic, and a little disturbing. I imagine she was walking along, and this scene caught her eye. Did she stage it? Probably not. I like to think she captured it just as it was, and that makes it even better, because it is evidence of the world doing its thing, and then someone like her comes along and notices it. The texture of the wood and the way the light falls creates an interesting visual tension. I wonder if she was thinking about how the puppet's vulnerability contrasts with the rough, weathered wood. It reminds me a little bit of some of the Surrealist art from that time, with its focus on unexpected juxtapositions. Artists like Maar are constantly in conversation with each other through their work. It becomes a kind of visual language that transcends time. Each artwork builds upon the other.