The Three Young Girls and Death 1942

Curator: Looking at this, I'm immediately struck by how haunting it is. There’s a real sense of decay and an almost oppressive, dreamlike quality. Editor: This is "The Three Young Girls and Death", a watercolor created by Hans Bellmer in 1942. Bellmer's work often probes themes of childhood, sexuality, and trauma, filtered through the lens of Surrealism. It is nearly as disturbing as the world at the time of its creation. Curator: Absolutely. I see symbols associated with mourning traditions: pale complexions, skeletal hands reaching, veiled figures... there's an archetypal echo of death rites played out within the forms. Editor: Consider also the socio-political climate of 1942. As war raged, Bellmer faced increasing state censorship and personal turmoil. It's nearly impossible to remove this piece from this setting. I can’t help but consider the Nazi persecution of homosexuals as a backdrop to his creative expressions, since Bellmer’s creations challenge conventional concepts of beauty. Curator: Indeed. This pushes me to imagine not just death as an end but the death of innocence, the brutal uprooting of youthful possibility caused by oppressive forces. Is Bellmer also suggesting female bodies become sites of struggle and subjugation, through objectification and control? I think about it as protest. Editor: You're drawn to its social dimensions; for me, its power rests in how Bellmer has deployed layered iconography and color to convey this unsettling encounter. This ghostly composition taps into the anxiety inherent in death. Even the mottled texture seems to whisper of disintegration and transformation, hinting that our own mortal boundaries are uncertain. The three faces and figures suggest three separate characters yet they merge like three stages or aspects of one archetypal image. Curator: Viewing this work from today's context allows us to consider these layered aspects in new and necessary ways. The dialogue with history can really heighten our critical awareness and give added texture to our emotional reaction. Editor: In this piece, Hans Bellmer captures how cultural symbols retain their power over generations. A reminder of life's fragility.