Get to know the three witches of surrealism

The three witches of surrealism were a trio of wonderful women who emigrated to Mexico due to various circumstances, and ended up as friends. The three of them are icons of the pictorial surrealism movement, and probably my all time favorites too. 

Remedios Varo (1908 - 1963)

A painter born in Spain, emigrated to Mexico after the Spanish Civil War. Her style, apart from having the dreamy, slightly unsettling feel of surrealism, incorporates unique elements such as the presence of protagonist female figures in her paintings, always very polished and quite androgynous, and occult elements related to magic and astrology.

She frequently used a technique called frottage, developed by fellow surrealist artist Max Ernst, which involves the layering of oil paint over the canvas to later scrape it away and create texture.

The Calling (1961)

The Creation of the Birds (1957)

Leonora Carrington (1917 - 2011)

She was a British painter and writer. Her work was deeply autobiographical, as her mental state was quite variable, something that even resulted in a stay in a psychiatric hospital. She meticulously crafted fantastic, dreamlike universes absolutely full of detail that reflected her emotions and thoughts. Similar to Varo, she incorporated a lot of feminine figures, as well as many animals full of symbolism that changes painting to painting.

Green Tea (1942)

Inn of the Dawn Horse (1936 - 1937)

Kati Horna (1912 - 2000)

A very multifaceted Hungarian photographer. In her youth, she photographed many images of the common people living through the Spanish Civil War, but later, once living in Mexico, her style shifted to something more surrealist. Her work includes the representation of very taboo subjects, such as fetishes, the sexualisation of common objects, and the meaning of femininity and female sexuality. She also added many references to her home country’s folklore, religious elements and objects associated with dark magic to explore the meaning of the occult.

Ode to Necrophilia series (1962) (no, I don’t support it and neither did she)

Woman with Masks (1963) (Very possibly my favorite photo ever)

Imagine being friends with these three. One can only dream. If anyone asks me who my favorite artist is, my bet is my answer gonna be lying in this group.