CHOI Ka Man talks on Bellmer

1) INTRODUCE THE DRAWING IN GENERAL TERMS

•What is the title of the drawing?
  This is a untitled drawing.

•What is the name of the artist?
  The name of the artist is Bellmer.

•What is the year the drawing was done?
The drawing was done in 1961.


•What is the medium? (ie the materials used to produce the picture, for example charcoal on paper, pen and  ink etc)
The medium are pencil on paper.

•What is the subject matter or general theme of the work? (eg is it a figure drawing, a map, a portrait, an autobiographical work, a picture about nature, a drawing of the city etc?)
This is a abstract drawing of a female figure who is energetic because there are so many repeated feet in the drawing. Those repeated feet produce feeling of action and depiction of movement. And the women looks like laying down and she is in an inversion way.Also,the female figure is really sexy that because of her alluring body shape,erotic lips and buttocks.

•What is the purpose of the drawing? (eg Is it a diagram that explains how something works? Does it record accurately record the appearance of something? Does it express the artist's emotion or memory? )
This drawing actually can show Hans Bellmer's style. He started to create erotic drawings, etchings, sexually explicit photographs, paintings, and prints of pubescent girls from 1950s. And we can feel that he tried to depict the figure's sexuality and alluring by those curvilinear lines.
And I think this drawing does express Bellmer's emotion. It reveals


2) DESCRIBE THE DRAWING IN DETAIL
•How is line used? What does it do/express?
The line in this drawing is clear and thin. And there is some soft-repeated line. Also,there is some sharp line that depicted the main contour of the figure. These different lines bring contrast in the drawing. Principally, line in this drawing is curvilinear. And the line contributes a feeling of movement as the line is continuous. This can make the drawing look like animation.

•How is tone used? What does it do/express?
In this drawing, the color tone is black and white. Although it has a bit contrast, the tone is still harmonious. Bellmer used black color to show the shadow and the dim part of the female figure's body,and he left the space of the paper,to use white color to show the bright part of the figure's body shape.Therefore,even the figure is a bit abstract(not in a actual form),it still looks three-dimensional and has convincing body shape.

•What can you say about shape and/or form in this picture? What is the effect?
The female figure's body is distorted in this drawing.We can hardly distinguish the parts of the figure's body shape.But this can offer us place for imagination.I think this is nice to have this effect in a drawing.It can encourage audience to think more and become more creative.
This drawing's shaping is quite special.The most remarkable element is the repeated feet.It seems like moving.Also,the shape,the line and the form of the figure are mostly soft.And it gives an elegant feeling.As a whole, the drawing depicts the effeminate,sexy and alluring of a women.

•Is texture a feature of the drawing?
Yes,though Bellmer did not depict the detail texture of the female figure's skin.The drawing is in a smooth texture as the paper is glossy and the blurred shadow.
•What can you say about the composition of the drawing? What is the effect of this type of composition on the overall drawing?

The composition of this drawing looks like spread,but it is focus actually.And it is quite simple at all that there is no background.It focuses in the upper middle,that means the "repeated feet".Because that is the most complicated part in the drawing which attracts people to focus on that.

•Is rhythm important in this picture? If so, say more about it...
Yes,it is important to have the feature of rhythm.As there is some repeated line(not only the feet actually).This kind of rhythm can show movement of the figure.And this can make the drawing becomes more distinctive as it is one of the main feature of the drawing.

•Is the picture balanced? Explain...
No,it is not really balanced though the figure was depicted in the middle on the paper. As I said,the drawing has a focus point in the upper middle of the figure.We can feel that Bellmer wanted to concentrate the part of the "repeated feet".Therefore,this drawing is not in a balanced form.

•Is perspective used in the picture? If so, describe the way that the illusion of three-dimensional space has been created.
I would like to say "half".As the figure in this drawing is quite abstract,there is no perspective used in those abstract part.However,some parts of the figure do has used perspective,like the legs,feet and the buttocks.These figures are in three-dimensional as the shadow depiction.

•Is the picture harmonious? If so, in what way?
Yes,it is harmonious.As almost all of the elements and features in this drawing are match.Soft color tone,soft line,gentle and soft female figure......they group together and contribute a harmonious atmosphere in this drawing.

•Are there any strong contrasts in the picture? Say more...
Yes,there is one big contrast in this drawing.
The "repeated feet" is the focus of this drawing.It is much more detail,complicated and real than the other parts of the figure.The other parts in of the figure are more like spreading out.This is the strongest and the only contrast in this drawing.


3) INTERPRETATION AND EVALUATION
•What is the mood of the drawing? Justify your answer using information from your responses above
I think the mood of this drawing is quite complicated.The whole drawing is harmonious,that means this drawing is soft,calm and elegant.There is not many contrast at all.
However,the main feature-"repeated feet" produces an energetic mood in the drawing.It seems like in movement.
Therefore,I think the drawing has two mood actually.When we first appreciate this drawing,we would find this is soft and calm.But when we look it longer and deeper,we might find it full of movement(but the movement is still elegant in my opinion).
Although some said Bellmer's drawing is erotic,I don't feel this in this drawing.I just feel kind of appreciation of female alluring body shape.
I think the mood of a drawing is related to audiences' point of view and imagination.So I have the opinions above.

•What does the drawing express? Justify your answer using information from your responses above
The drawing expresses the beauty,sexuality of a female figure.Bellmer also depicted the elegant movement of the female figure in this drawing.
Still, some may say Bellmer's drawings are tend to express erotic message.And there are really exist some erotic drawing,but I just believe this drawing is quite neutral and I just focus on the movement,the beauty......of the female figure.
......devoted an artistic lifetime to creating sexualized images of the female body--distorted, dismembered, or menaced in sinister scenarios. In this book Sue Taylor draws on psychoanalytic theory to suggest why Bellmer was so driven by erotomania as well as a desire for revenge, suffering, and the safety of the womb. Although he styled himself as the quintessential Oedipal son, an avant-garde artist in perpetual rebellion against a despised father, Taylor contends that his filial attitude was more complex than he could consciously allow. Tracing a repressed homoerotic attachment to his father, castration anxiety, and an unconscious sense of guilt, Taylor proposes that a feminine identification informs all the disquieting aspects of Bellmer's art. (Jahsonic,Hans Bellmer (1902-1975))

one of his erotic drawing

his significant feature:overlapping and curvilinear line

his famous life-sized pubescent female dolls

•In your opinion, why is this work interesting/moving/ clever/ imaginative/thought-provoking/......?  Choose the adjective(s) that best fit(s) the work, and then justify your conclusion in terms of specific features and qualities of the drawing.
I think this drawing's success is due to its interesting.It is not an actual subject.It gives audience room for imagination and it inspire me quite a lot.Abstract drawing can express much more.Although the figure in the drawing is distroted,it brings opportunity to audiencese to have more creativity on appreciating this drawing.Therefore,this is a successful drawing.

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(1)Jahsonic,Hans Bellmer (1902-1975),
http://www.jahsonic.com/HansBellmer.html