Černoch (Black Man) 1949

Emila Medková's surrealist photograph presents a profile that seems to emerge from a grainy ground. The monochromatic palette invites you to see the texture and shape, as if the image was sculpted from earth. I wonder what it was like for Medková to discover this face in the world—or perhaps she constructed it herself. The singular eye is so striking, it transforms the gritty surface into something alive and unsettling. It reminds me of the way dreams can take something ordinary and imbue it with strange significance. There is something very tactile about this image, like a painter working with thick impasto. That single, unblinking eye also speaks to a wider surrealist investigation of the self. It reminds me of other artists who embraced chance and the unconscious. It is as if Medková is in a dialogue with them, listening and responding to their visions. Painting, photography, or any medium: it’s all just one big conversation.