Louise Bourgeois/ Max Ernst (Surrealism)

Pictured above is the surrealist painting Napolean in the Wilderness, created in 1941 by Max Ernst. The vibrant colors and the sharp quality of this painting were achieved using a technique called decalcomania which was common amongst surrealist. The focus is the female figure who can easily be distinguished by her deep-red cloak. Scale and balance are also used to distinguish these figures which consist of people, animals, and a colorfully printed totem. In addition to being the most vibrant, the nude female figure is also the largest and yet she still balances out the other half of the painting perfectly. She is also holding what appears to be some sort of musical instrument in the form of a snake. The painting is simultaneously beautiful and strange; amongst the calm setting are these strange mythical figures. While is not clear what brings these figures to together, they all seem to be fixed on the totem.

Louise Bourgeois was an innovator of feminist art in the 20th century who expressed a variety of themes (many of which centered around womanhood) throughout her work. The pieces on the left (Femme, 2006) are no exception to this recurring theme. Using a drypoint technique, Bourgeois showcases a series of different hairstyles on what appears to be a topless woman who is lying down. Acknowledging the identical faces and pearl necklaces in each of these pieces (with the exception of one photo which lacks the pearl necklace), one can assume that these are all the same woman. Immediately you are drawn to the dark hair, which serves as a balance to the rest of the woman who is displayed using only a simple outline. While her expression is consistent throughout the series, her hair is depicted in various shapes and forms using lines that curl, wave and curve; perhaps it was Bourgeois' intention to convey the woman's emotions using her hair.