Leonora Carrington

Leonora Carrington (1917-2011)

Leonora Carrington was born into a wealthy family in England in 1917 and grew up on an Estate. She was surrounded by animals and grew up listening to old folktales and fairytales. (This was all translated into her work later on). Carrington was always a strong, rebellious, opinionated young woman who often got in trouble with her parents, and in school, and became an artist, even though her family and the society around her disapproved. She ended up going to art school in Florence and later in London.

As soon as I saw “self portrait” (1938) by Leonora Carrington, I knew I wanted to research and choose this artist for post three. Her unique style and ideas through the painting grabbed my attention. A Surrealist, Carrington portrayed the unconscious mind and dream imagery in her work along with her fascination of different cultures. Chadwick explains how “surrealism’s multiple and ambivalent visions of woman converge in identifications of the female body with the mysterious forces and regenerative powers of nature” and how artists like Carrington painted an “austere and ironic vision” (182-183). This artist’s visions of women and attempt in capturing nature’s power are highlighted by her hybrid figures through which she explores the themes of transformation and identity of a woman in the contemporary world. 

The mediums through which Carrington worked were oil painting, traditional bronze and cast iron sculpture, and mixed media sculpture that incorporated wood, glass, and iron objects. Her uniqueness and significance in the art world is her connection of fantasy with reality. She also was unique in “rejecting the Surrealist ideal of woman as a source of creative energy” (artsy.com) and “dismissed male romanticizing of nature as female and nurturing” (Chadwick 312).  Her paintings depict women as mystical, beautiful creatures who were strong and in this way Carrington redefined female symbolism and imagery in Surrealism. Sexuality is another dominant theme in her work where she essentially presents the female sexual experience from a non-male perspective. Feminism isn’t only prevalent in her artwork, but also in her life as she partook in the Women’s Liberation movement in Mexico later on in her life.

(Self-Portrait, 1938, Leonora Carrington)

Societal conditions from her time, like the many artists we are learning about in class, was World War II. Married to famous Surrealist, Max Ernst (who achieved much more fame than her), Carrington lived and suffered through a great deal. They both were separated after his escape from France to the U.S from the German police and Carrington was admitted to an asylum after a breakdown. Like many people of her time, the war and the darkness around her affected her a great deal. Her fantastical and personal mythological artwork, which was inspired and influenced by her childhood experiences, escaped the reality of war. As Luis Buñuel once wrote of her work, it "liberates us from the miserable reality of our days". It is not a coincidence that Surrealism emerged during a century of many bloody wars, where many people like Carrington suffered from. Chadwick also shared with Time magazine that Carrington "was a seeker and a searcher. In her work, she always sought to define moments when one plane of consciousness blends with another".

(The Giantess, 1947, Leonora Carrington) 

(The Meal of Lord Candlestick, 1938, Leonora Carrington)

These two paintings summarize Carrington's style and message of her artwork. Elements of fantasy can be seen by the use of animals as well as her perspective of nature and life and death. The most significant aspect is the way she portrays women. In The Giantess Carrington painted a giant, powerful woman who almost seems like a portrayal of Mother Earth. The woman is holding a giant egg with geese emerging from her clothing. She is looking directly at the viewer, which may be acknowledging the male gaze. She is beautiful in her own way and Carrington rejects the way male artists would usually paint women during this time. In Meal of Lord Candlestick Carrington painted, and mocked, the dinner parties and banquet halls that she grew up around where females were catering to the males. Women here are devouring a male infant lying in the middle of the table. Both these paintings exhibit portrayals of women that are from a unique feminist perspective. 

“You may not believe in magic but something very strange is happening at this very moment. Your head has dissolved into thin air and I can see the rhododendrons through your stomach. It's not that you are dead or anything dramatic like that, it is simply that you are fading away and I can't even remember your name.” - Leonora Carrington

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: Thames and Hudson, 1990. Print.

"Leonora Carrington Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works." The Art Story. Web. 7 Apr. 2015. <http://www.theartstory.org/artist-carrington-leonora.htm>.

"Leonora Carrington - 7 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy." Leonora Carrington - 7 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy. Web. 7 Apr. 2015. <https://www.artsy.net/artist/leonora-carrington>.