Hans Bellmer
Unica Zürn
Hans Bellmer
Hans Bellmer, La poupée, vers 1935 – 1936 Reproduction d’une œuvre
hans bellmer
http://www.lindemanns.de/shop/fotobuchhandlung/95054b-hans-bellmer–louise-bourgeois-hans-bellmer–louise-bourgeois.php
German born artist and photographer, Hans Bellmar is considered as having a surrealist style in photography by historians of the two mentioned fields. Until 1926 that is at the age of 24, Bellmer worked at his personal advertising firm as a draftsman. The artist is known for his project on mutated body forms of dolls and their unusual poses; in order to combat the fascism being imposed on people by the Nazis. Bellmer’s influence was from Oskar Kokoschka’s letters published in print. Kokoschka was an Austrian poet and artist.In 1933, he produced the first doll that was 56 inches in heights made from flax fiber using plaster and glue. In 1934, he documented various parts of the dolls in a single photograph and later on produced photos of such nature. In the same year, he published a book titled, Die Puppe meaning The Doll. It includes ten monochrome photograph’s of the doll Bellmer initially composed in tableaux vivants. At the time, his work was acknowledged in the art culture of Parisan, particularly among the Surrealists. This was because Bellmer’s photography and art referred to sexuality and beauty of women. His work was featured in Minotaure, a journal on surrealism. The book was anonymous with no identity of the photographer. However, in 1938 due to the content of the images and the purpose, the Nazis labeled his work as degenerated art. This meant that anybody producing modern art will be sanctioned, and Bellmer was forced to leave Germany, thus he headed towards France.
Once the war was over, Bellmer lived in Paris forever. He then quit making dolls and turned towards creating erotic etchings, drawings, paintings, pornographic photography and teenage girl prints.
In 1975,Hans Bellmer said goodbye to this world and died from cancer. He was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery.
After his death, much happened concerning his work – most of the things were good and some were unfortunate for the popularity of his work. In 2001, one of the creatures from Silent Hill 2 (video game) resembled the dolls made by Bellmer. However, the designer of the monster claimed that the inspiration came from traditional folklore of Japan. Apparent references to Hans Bellmer’s art and photography were visible in Love Object, a film made in 2003. Moreover, a band from post punk era in New York, took its name from the works of Bellmer on his dolls and called their band Bellmer Dolls. A 2004 film, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, categorized in the anime genre, featured aspects of Bellmer’s uncanny and erotic dolls. In fact, Mamoru Oshiihas, the director recalled Bellmer’s doll work as an inspiration for the production.
On the other hand, in 2006, the London Whitechapel Gallery removed Hans Bellmar’s twelve photographs from an exhibition from fear of Muslim neighborhoods that they will be offended by the sexually explicit content.
Many exhibitions of Bellmar’s work have taken place in locations, such as Paris’s Galerie Daniel Cordier, 1963; London’s Robert Fraser Gallery, 1966; Berlin’s Kunst Verein, Hannover’s Kestner Gesellschaft, Munich’s Galerie Wolfgang Ketterer, all in 1967; Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum, 1970; Paris’s CNAC Archives, 1971; Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, 1975; Paris’s Galerie André Francois Petit, 1976; Paris’s Centre Pompidou and Filipacchi, 1983; Hannover’s Kestnergesellschaft, 1984; London’s Editions Graphiques, 1985; New York’s Isidore Ducasse Fine Arts, 1990; Krannert Art Museum, 1991; and many more.
Unica Zürn, Hans Bellmer
http://artpages.org.ua/
pochi artisti hanno saputo avvinghiarsi ai mostri dell’inconscio come ha fatto Unica Zurn. Il suo non era un compiacimento e neppure un pericoloso passatempo nei meandri più sconosciuti e pericolosi della mente, era invece un bisogno impellente di capire le angosce dell’uomo moderno, di capire l’origine nefasta e ammaliante del male che partoriva le guerre, le disuguaglianze, l’isolamento artistico e culturale che ne derivava, al quale Unica Zurn, suo marito Hans Bellmer ed un gruppo sempre più disparato (e disperato) di surrealisti venivano relegati perché depositari di verità scomode ai totalitarismi come pure alla bambagia delle borghesie arroganti che gestiscono il nostro sistema.
Ruth Henry, traduttrice francese e amica intima di Unica Zurn scrive nel 1977: aveva intuito che la fuga, il bisogno della malattia, della follia, costituivano il fondamento stesso dell’ esistenza di Unica. Pure, assumendo un compito che si era autonomamente attribuita, è riuscita a trasporre la distruzione della malattia in qualcosa di costruttivo, in un’opera. Così facendo ha realizzato un’azione – un’azione vitale- che poi l’ha condotta ‘verso l’antico paese incantatore della morte.
L’originalissima opera grafica e letteraria di Unica Zurn attraversa anni bui di miseria a radi successi, tutti condivisi con il suo compagno Hans Bellmer, l’autore della “Poupée”,appassionato come lei di anagrammi, nel caso di Bellmer le sue figure si torcono smembrandosi in una forma spudoratamente meravigliosa, mentre nelle chine di unica gli anagrammi grafici si scatenano in grovigli di lineamenti femminili ornati di squame che si tramutano in incantevoli mostri alati. Dice Bellmer: “vidi immediatamente il suo notevole talento per il disegno automatico sostenuto da una melodia grafica senza rotture”. Appassionata della ricerca dei significati reconditi delle parole e dei numeri ( si aspettava di morire a 54 anni, poiché cinque più quattro fa nove, il suo numero magico.
Con Henry Michaux sperimenta diversi allucinogeni al fine di carpire i segreti della coscienza. Una lunga serie di crisi mentali provocano numerosi internamenti psichiatrici. Michaux contribuisce involontariamente alla sua discesa nella fossa dei serpenti offrendole gli strumenti virtuali per attraversarla “a mano armata”. Michaux appare come l’uomo del destino che Unica evoca nel suo libro Der Mann im Jasmin (L’uomo dei gelsomini), sottotitolo: Impressioni di una malata mentale, pubblicato postumo nel ’71 e definito allora da Michel Leiris “il libro più importante dell’anno”.
Un’autobiografia fuori dai canoni, dove l’artista cortocircuita le figure dell’autrice, narratrice e protagonista, fondendo ad arte delirio e creazione, rappresentazione e realtà, per elaborare imperturbabili “cronache dall’interno”, incursioni alla terza persona singolare nei territori della follia femminile.
Hans Bellmer giace da mesi paralizzato ed incapace a sopportare questa situazione di isolamento e miseria, a 54 anni Unica Zurn esce dalla clinica psichiatrica con un permesso speciale e si getta dal balcone del misero appartamento che condivide con lui.