Untitled 1942

This drawing, made by Hans Bellmer, well we don’t know exactly when, gives me the feeling that the artist was working through something, trying to figure it out as he went. The graphite is so present, isn’t it? Each mark feels exploratory. I love the way the lines are laid down, like tentative threads, building up this strange scene. There’s a real sense of density in some areas, particularly around the figure, almost like he’s obscuring something. And then other parts, like the architecture, are more schematic, almost perfunctory, sketched in with a kind of nonchalant energy. Look at the building, how the lines barely describe what they're depicting, a real sense of playful disinterest. Bellmer reminds me of other surrealists, like Leonora Carrington, who explored similar territories of the unconscious. What connects them is the way they embraced ambiguity, allowing multiple interpretations to coexist, refusing to offer any easy answers.