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拍品专文
Ana Vázquez de Parga has kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work.
Oscar Domínguez was known amongst his fellow Surrealists for being a tireless innovator, constantly experimenting with different styles and techniques to reinvigorate his art at various points in his career. Painted while the artist was living under German-occupation in Paris, La Main Passe II displays Domínguez’s developing aesthetic during the 1940s, and represents the artist’s increasing return to figuration in his art. Marked by a softer style, reliant on definite forms and a brighter, more descriptive use of colour, the paintings of this period often feature voluptuous, sculptural female forms, lounging in mysterious, otherworldly settings. This subject occupied Domínguez across different media during the war years, appearing in drawings, paintings, sculptures and multi-pieced objects d’art.
In the present work the artist explores this theme of the reclining female nude, focusing on the play of volume and void in the shaping of his figure. Outlined with a thick, graphic black stroke, the figure at the centre of the composition is formed through a complex assemblage of shapes, and explores the juxtapositions between shapely curves and sharply pointed angles. Exaggerating the scale of certain features, such as the large hand which rests upon her midriff, the artist lends a monstrous quality to her form, further enhanced by the disconnection between the figure’s feet and legs. One of the most striking elements of the composition is the bright pink hue of the figure’s finger- and toenails, which adds a touch of humour and a sense of the absurd to the painting, a feature which was so characteristic of Domínguez’s art. With each of these elements, the artist subverts any sense of reality, creating a perplexing scene designed to disorientate the viewer.
The artist adds to the surreal nature of La Main Passe II by situating the figure in an ambiguous, illogical setting. Surrounded by the outlines of an architectural structure, the female figure reclines against a low, solid, red brick wall, whose purpose or identity within the landscape remains a mystery. The walls offer no privacy, nor do they delimit the space into an identifiable room. In fact, they create a distinct confusion between inner and outer space, as the figure appears at once inside and outside of their boundaries. This feature echoes the work of Giorgio de Chirico, in its creation of an undefinable setting, and lends an otherworldly atmosphere to the painting. In his fusion of recognisable motifs with elements of the absurd, and the creation of a mystifying setting, Domínguez creates a dreamlike scene which deliberately defies logic and rational reasoning.
Oscar Domínguez was known amongst his fellow Surrealists for being a tireless innovator, constantly experimenting with different styles and techniques to reinvigorate his art at various points in his career. Painted while the artist was living under German-occupation in Paris, La Main Passe II displays Domínguez’s developing aesthetic during the 1940s, and represents the artist’s increasing return to figuration in his art. Marked by a softer style, reliant on definite forms and a brighter, more descriptive use of colour, the paintings of this period often feature voluptuous, sculptural female forms, lounging in mysterious, otherworldly settings. This subject occupied Domínguez across different media during the war years, appearing in drawings, paintings, sculptures and multi-pieced objects d’art.
In the present work the artist explores this theme of the reclining female nude, focusing on the play of volume and void in the shaping of his figure. Outlined with a thick, graphic black stroke, the figure at the centre of the composition is formed through a complex assemblage of shapes, and explores the juxtapositions between shapely curves and sharply pointed angles. Exaggerating the scale of certain features, such as the large hand which rests upon her midriff, the artist lends a monstrous quality to her form, further enhanced by the disconnection between the figure’s feet and legs. One of the most striking elements of the composition is the bright pink hue of the figure’s finger- and toenails, which adds a touch of humour and a sense of the absurd to the painting, a feature which was so characteristic of Domínguez’s art. With each of these elements, the artist subverts any sense of reality, creating a perplexing scene designed to disorientate the viewer.
The artist adds to the surreal nature of La Main Passe II by situating the figure in an ambiguous, illogical setting. Surrounded by the outlines of an architectural structure, the female figure reclines against a low, solid, red brick wall, whose purpose or identity within the landscape remains a mystery. The walls offer no privacy, nor do they delimit the space into an identifiable room. In fact, they create a distinct confusion between inner and outer space, as the figure appears at once inside and outside of their boundaries. This feature echoes the work of Giorgio de Chirico, in its creation of an undefinable setting, and lends an otherworldly atmosphere to the painting. In his fusion of recognisable motifs with elements of the absurd, and the creation of a mystifying setting, Domínguez creates a dreamlike scene which deliberately defies logic and rational reasoning.