Sketchbook 1946

Curator: Here we have a page from Hans Bellmer's sketchbook, dated 1946. What strikes you most about it? Editor: There's a strange vulnerability to it, almost as if the subject is recoiling. The hands over the face create such an unsettling mood—avoidance or perhaps shame? Curator: The medium, simple pencil on paper, emphasizes that raw emotionality. Bellmer’s doll imagery is rife with explorations of sexuality and the uncanny, wouldn't you agree? This looks very preliminary. Editor: Absolutely. Considering Bellmer's historical context – fleeing Nazi Germany and the persecution of artists – his work becomes a kind of rebellious statement. It critiques societal expectations around female sexuality by deconstructing the body itself. What are we to make of all of these ruffles and underpinnings? Curator: It's all wonderfully weird and uncomfortable! The frantic, layered lines form both a portrait and a kind of architectural rendering, creating a figure trapped within both flesh and constraint. Perhaps that explains some of the visceral emotion, don’t you think? The gridded paper heightens the feeling. Editor: Yes, I see that too, especially the implied geometry acting as a metaphor for social control. I am particularly interested in how the artist deliberately avoids objectifying this figure. She is presented as a subject with psychological depth, even if fragmented. Curator: Right. There is an implied depth within the work even while obscuring its main subject. I always appreciate how Bellmer refuses easy readings and clear-cut representation. This is more of an internal exploration via visual means. A peek into the unconscious. Editor: It's work that actively challenges the viewer to engage with these complexities. I see how he pushes past simply depicting to creating. Curator: Precisely. Ultimately, I believe he’s holding a mirror up to both society and himself through the artwork. It reveals, and that can often be troubling. Editor: Agreed. This sketchbook page serves as an invitation to question ingrained norms and assumptions, both artistic and social, in the face of trauma. A brave act in a world so often inclined toward ignorance.