Panic 1955

Andre Masson’s print titled Panic presents a field of biomorphic shapes in purple on a green background. Made in France, the print evokes a sense of chaos through its tangled and frenzied lines, which can be understood as a reaction to the social and political climate of interwar Europe. As a Surrealist artist, Masson was interested in expressing the unconscious mind and tapping into primal emotions and instinctive behaviors, reflecting the anxieties of his time. This artwork could be seen as a commentary on the social and political unrest that led to World War II. By using abstract forms, Masson challenged the established artistic conventions and offered a critique of the status quo through his art. To understand this artwork better, we might consult historical archives, and studies of Surrealism to contextualize it within the period's intellectual and artistic movements. This highlights how art is always contingent on the social and institutional contexts in which it is produced and exhibited.