Dorothea Tanning was one of the most celebrated of the American Surrealists. She met the artist Max Ernst in New York in 1942 and they married in 1946. Their dog, a Lhasa Apso terrier named Katchina, appears regularly in Tanning’s work. Sometimes the dog is the artist's alter-ego and at other times appears as a witness or protagonist. Tanning painted this work while living in France. It was originally titled L’Etreinte, which means ‘The Embrace’ or even ‘The Stranglehold’. A few months later, she re-titled it Tableau Vivant – Living Picture. She was evasive about its meaning. It is unclear if it is an image of possession and dominance or of love, support and protection; it may be all these things. It was one of her favourite works: she kept it above her desk.