Homo rodans 1959

Remedios Varo made this image of a rolling man, Homo rodans, with paint that’s thin and smooth, almost like she’s drawing with it. The backdrop feels like a cosmic dust cloud, a soft explosion of oranges and browns, making the skeletal figure pop. The wheel-body is rendered with meticulous detail, each link distinct, as if Varo is building it piece by piece. Then, those ribs, or wings, that look like they’re about to take flight. They're delicate, transparent, like something from a dream. You can almost feel the cool touch of metal and bone, but also a sense of the ethereal. This piece makes me think about Leonora Carrington. Both artists play with surreal imagery and a sense of inner alchemy. “Homo rodans” invites us to see how the mechanical and the organic can come together, rolling through the universe on a weird, poetic journey. It's not just a picture; it’s a question mark about what it means to be alive, or not, in a world of constant motion.