André Masson

La Corde [The Rope]

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About this artwork

In 1924 Masson's work was still heavily dependent on cubist fragmentation and shading. However, in this painting one can see the artist beginning to introduce elements of surrealism, automatism and mystery. The upright carafe seems to be turning into a bird with an eye and a beak; the headless nude could be read as a small figurine or as a normal figure standing in the background. The rope named in the title leads back into a passage, perhaps the entrance to the Labyrinth.

Updated before 2020

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  • artist:
    André Masson (1896 - 1987) French
  • title:
    La Corde [The Rope]
  • date created:
    1924
  • materials:
    Oil on canvas
  • measurements:
    45.10 x 38.20 cm; Framed: 64.00 x 56.80 x 5.50 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Purchased with the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund, 1995
  • accession number:
    GMA 3889
  • gallery:
  • subject:
  • glossary:
  • artwork photographed by:
    Antonia Reeve
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André Masson

André Masson