Werewolf 1944

Andre Masson made this work, Werewolf, using ink, charcoal and crayon on paper. Look at the way those lines just keep going, looping and swirling around, barely stopping to take a breath! I can only imagine the artist's hand moving quickly, almost unconsciously, across the paper. It reminds me a bit of automatic writing, like the hand is just a tool for some deeper, hidden impulse. I wonder, when Masson was making this, did he know where he was going? Or was he just letting the materials guide him, seeing where the charcoal and ink might lead? I find myself tracing those lines, feeling the push and pull of the marks, and wondering what kind of strange creatures might emerge from the darkness. It’s like he was conjuring a whole world right there on the page. And with the simple addition of a splodge of red there's a weird dance between control and chaos. It makes me wonder about the strange conversations artists have with each other across time.