As a rule, Dora Maar is spoken about in the context of studying the work of famous artists of the 20th century. She was the muse of Pablo Picasso, assisted Man Ray, closely communicated with Paul Eluard and Andre Breton. However, Maar did not remain in the shadow of the surrealists, but she herself became an outstanding photographer and was remembered for her unusual works. Thanks to her connections with artists, Maar was able to take part in various international exhibitions. Even in commercial projects, her unique handwriting is clearly expressed. One of these works was an advertisement for Pétrole Hahn hair oil, prepared in 1934. The picture shows a bottle with hair flying instead of escaping liquid.
In the early 1930s, Maar visited Barcelona and London, where she photographed the aftermath of the Great Depression, which affected the economy of the whole world. The artist grew up in a wealthy family, and she was shocked by the poverty she saw. During this period, she created a number of works, using photomontage as a means of expressing her disagreement with the political and economic processes of that period.
One of the photographs taken in Barcelona formed the basis of the Le Simulateur collage, which looks like a fragment of a dream. Maar placed the figure of a young acrobat inside a strange room. At first glance, it seems that the body is deformed: the artist turned over the artist performing an acrobatic stunt. It is believed that this work reflects the tense social conditions that prevailed on the eve of World War II.
Monstre sur la Plage is an image that also reflects the unsettling pre-war mood. A fantastically ugly creature peers into the unknown and frightening distance of the future, looking for signs of an impending disaster. There is another interpretation: perhaps, long before the war, Maar already imagined the fighting in her native France, depicting a monster in an idyllic setting. Some critics see something mystical in this - a prophecy about the landing of allied troops in Normandy.
In 1936, the artist met Picasso, their communication grew into a long relationship, which ended in a difficult break. Maar was not only a muse for the surrealist, but also documented some moments from his life. In 1937, she photographed the still unfinished Guernica, one of Picasso's most famous works, dedicated to the bombing of Guernica.
Below are some more works by Dora Maar.
