Andre Masson The Metamorphosis of the Woman

Lithograph, 1970

Image size: 67.00 × 49.00 cm
(26.38 × 19.29 in.)

Paper size: 75.00 × 54.00 cm
(29.53 × 21.26 in.)

Signed in pencil by the artist
Artist proof
With certificate of authenticity
In good condition

Artwork description

《The Metamorphosis of the Woman》 (1970) is a lithograph that symbolically expresses the themes of "transformation" and the "unconscious" that André Masson explored for many years.

For Masson, "woman" was not merely a figure, but an important motif symbolizing life, nature, desire, and mythical beings. In this work, her body is not depicted as a fixed form but as a constantly changing, fluid existence. The figures merge with forms reminiscent of plants, animals, and cosmic symbols, blurring the boundaries between human and nature, reality and dream.

The flowing curves and impromptu lines strongly reflect the spirit of automatism that Masson explored since his Surrealist period. These free lines are not controlled by reason, but traverse the canvas as energy naturally welling up from the unconscious.

Masson's works from the 1970s show a more poetic and spiritual abstraction than the intense tension of his early period. In this work too, flexible and organic forms create a light rhythm, forming a fantastical and dreamlike space.

Furthermore, the theme of the "metamorphosis" of the female figure can be interpreted as an interest in the cycle of life and spiritual regeneration. The continuously changing body symbolizes the instability and potential of human existence itself, evoking the mythological and cosmic worldview that underlies Masson's art.

This work, with its soft texture and rich nuance of lines unique to lithography, is a fascinating piece that well demonstrates the poetic sentiment and free imagination of André Masson's later art.