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![Portrait automatique de lʼautomate dʼAlbert-le-Grand [Automatic Portrait of the Automaton of Albertus Magnus]](http://www.nationalgalleries.org/media_collection/6/GMA 3988.jpg)
- © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2004
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![Portrait automatique de l'automate d'Albert-le-Grand [Automatic Portrait of the Automaton of Albertus Magnus]](http://www.nationalgalleries.org/media_collection/6/GMA%203988.jpg)
Portrait automatique de lʼautomate dʼAlbert-le-Grand [Automatic Portrait of the Automaton of Albertus Magnus]
Georges Hugnet
- © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2004
Georges Hugnet
Portrait automatique de l'automate d'Albert-le-Grand [Automatic Portrait of the Automaton of Albertus Magnus]1938This 'portrait' was made with a technique known as decalcomania, frequently used by the the Surrealists. Paint was brushed onto very smooth paper, which was covered immediately with another sheet of paper. The two pages were pressed together and then the top sheet was removed to reveal a spongy-textured and highly suggestive surface. The subject of the picture was inspired by the images the artist could 'read' into the textured paint. Hugnet has satirically titled his work a portrait of Albertus Magnus, a thirteenth-century, German theologian and alchemist who was a hero of the Surrealist group.
Glossary Open
Decalcomania
Surrealist technique for generating images by applying paint to one surface which is then pressed against another surface to transfer the design. A variation is popular with young school children, who apply paint to paper which is then folded.
Surrealism
A literary and artistic movement founded by the poet André Breton in 1924. Many of the associated artists, such as Max Ernst and Jean Arp, had previously been involved with Dadaism. The movement sought to challenge conventions through the exploration of the subconscious mind, invoking the power of dreams and elements of chance. Cultural hierarchies were challenged by the combination of diverse elements in collages and sculptural assemblages. The movement is also notable for the collaborations between artists and writers evident in the Surrealists' many publications.
Details
- Accession no. GMA 3988
- Medium Ink on paper
- Size 37.90 x 29.00 cm
- Credit Bequeathed by Gabrielle Keiller 1995
Georges Hugnet (French, 1906 - 1974)
Poet, critic and book-lover Georges Hugnet spent his childhood in Argentina, moving to France in 1913. He was involved in the surrealist movement from 1933 to 1938, taking part in activities such as poetry, making collages and creating book covers for the Surrealists. Hugnet used the automatic technique of decalcomania, both on the endpapers of books and as an artistic practice in its own right. Hugnet's beautifully-bound books were considered as equal in value to objects created by the surrealist group and some were exhibited at the Exhibition of Surrealist Objects in Paris in 1936.
Glossary Open
Collage
An image constructed from found materials, such as photographs, paper or fabric, glued to a surface, sometimes with additional painted or drawn elements. It is an art form particularly associated with Dada and Surrealism.
Decalcomania
Surrealist technique for generating images by applying paint to one surface which is then pressed against another surface to transfer the design. A variation is popular with young school children, who apply paint to paper which is then folded.
Surrealism
A literary and artistic movement founded by the poet André Breton in 1924. Many of the associated artists, such as Max Ernst and Jean Arp, had previously been involved with Dadaism. The movement sought to challenge conventions through the exploration of the subconscious mind, invoking the power of dreams and elements of chance. Cultural hierarchies were challenged by the combination of diverse elements in collages and sculptural assemblages. The movement is also notable for the collaborations between artists and writers evident in the Surrealists' many publications.