Dora Maar, Silence, 1935-1936Photomontage was a technique adopted by the Surrealists for its abili
Dora Maar, Silence, 1935-1936 Photomontage was a technique adopted by the Surrealists for its ability to create new realities, and Dora Maar used it to great effect. In many of her photomontages, Maar repurposed subjects from her street photographs to produce novel compositions. In the present work, three figures are set against the photographically inverted vaults of the Orangeries at Versailles. These vaults were used in another of Maar’s famously disturbing images, The Simulator [see Dora Maar, Le Simulateur, vers 1936].The present image’s inexplicably curved ‘floor,’ gravity-defying figures, and the ominous admonishment ‘Silence,’ inscribed upon the wall, combine to create an unsettling atmosphere. photo and note from Sotheby’sCatalogue : 175 Masterworks To Celebrate 175 Years Of Photography: Property from Joy of Giving Something Foundation (Sotheby’s, 11-12 Dec. 2014) -- source link