REMEDIOS

VARO

BACKGROUND

Varo was born in Girona, Spain on December 16, 1908

She fled to Paris during the Spanish Civil War where she was heavily influenced by the surrounding surrealist movement

She was forced into exile by the Nazis during their occupation in France

Resided in Latin America for the rest of her life

TECHNIQUE

Around 1949 is when she developed her unique style of surrealism

She then established herself as a para-surrealist

Varo painted mainly with oil on masonite panels

Her brush technique resembled the type of strokes you would normally use on a egg tempera

MALARIA (DRAGONFLY) 1947

USELESS SCIENCE OR THE ALCHEMIST 1955

CREATION OF THE BIRDS 1957

EXPLORATION OF THE SOURCE OF THE ORINOCO RIVER 1959

STILL LIFE REVIVING 1963

INFLUENCE

Much of Varo’s influence derived from mystic and hermetic traditions

Some artists that influenced her the most were Hieronymus Bosch Francisco Goya El Greco Picasso Braque

Nearly all male surrealists didn’t respect female painters of the genre, so Varo addressed this in her paintings symbolically

AFTERMATH

As her career continued, she progressively concentrated on the issue of women discrimination in her work

She died on October 8, 1963 at the height of her career from a heart-attack while in Mexico City

Varo’s work continues to prove successful in Mexico and in the United States today