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Armed With Madness: The Surreal Leonora Carrington
Reluctant muse and feminist champion… society heiress and rebel refugee… the last of the Leonora Carrington played many roles in her long and extraordinary life. Renouncing her privileged upbringing in pre-war England for the more exciting elite of Paris’s 1930s avant-garde, she comes to rub shoulders (and more) with the likes of Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, and Salvador Dalí, after embarking on a complicated love affair with Max Ernst. But the demons that have both haunted and inspired her work are gathering, and when the world goes mad with the outbreak of war and the Nazi invasion, Leonora’s own hold on reality collapses into a terrifying psychotic episode of her own. Eventually fleeing war-torn Europe, she emerges into a new and richly creative life in Mexico City, establishing herself as a prodigious painter, writer, and advocate of women’s rights. This new work by the acclaimed partnership of Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot celebrates the life and career of a truly remarkable woman – and artist.
148 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2023
1 person is currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
Mary M. Talbot
12 books28 followersDr Mary Talbot is the author of the graphic novel Dotter of her Father’s Eyes (Jonathan Cape 2012), illustrated by her husband, award winning comic artist Bryan Talbot. She is an internationally acclaimed scholar who has published widely on language, gender and power, particularly in relation to media and consumer culture. Dotter is the first work she has undertaken in the graphic novel format. It went on to win the Costa Biography Award in January 2013.
Mary’s recent academic work includes a second edition of Language and Gender (Polity 2010), a book that continues to be popular with university lecturers and students worldwide. However, she’s probably still best known for her critical investigation of the “synthetic sisterhood” offered by teen magazines.
She has held academic posts in higher education for over twenty-five years, mostly in England, but also in Wales and Denmark. In 2004 she was invited as Visiting Professor to Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China. She has also done extensive consultancy work, including for the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Quality Assurance Agency.
Born in Wigan in 1954, Mary married Bryan and moved to Preston in 1972, where she brought up two sons, wrote poetry and short stories. She studied English Literature and Linguistics at Preston Polytechnic as a mature student, graduating in 1982 with a first class BA in Combined Studies. She later went on to study at Lancaster University, completing with a PhD on Critical Discourse Analysis in 1990. Employment as Reader in Language and Culture took her to Sunderland in 1997. She still lives in Sunderland, but has been a freelance writer since 2009.
Her second graphic novel, Sally Heathcote, Suffragette, is illustrated by Kate Charlesworth and Bryan and due for publication by Jonathan Cape in May 2014. It follows the fortunes of a maid-of-all-work as she is swept up the feminist activism of Edwardian England.
Mary’s recent academic work includes a second edition of Language and Gender (Polity 2010), a book that continues to be popular with university lecturers and students worldwide. However, she’s probably still best known for her critical investigation of the “synthetic sisterhood” offered by teen magazines.
She has held academic posts in higher education for over twenty-five years, mostly in England, but also in Wales and Denmark. In 2004 she was invited as Visiting Professor to Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China. She has also done extensive consultancy work, including for the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Quality Assurance Agency.
Born in Wigan in 1954, Mary married Bryan and moved to Preston in 1972, where she brought up two sons, wrote poetry and short stories. She studied English Literature and Linguistics at Preston Polytechnic as a mature student, graduating in 1982 with a first class BA in Combined Studies. She later went on to study at Lancaster University, completing with a PhD on Critical Discourse Analysis in 1990. Employment as Reader in Language and Culture took her to Sunderland in 1997. She still lives in Sunderland, but has been a freelance writer since 2009.
Her second graphic novel, Sally Heathcote, Suffragette, is illustrated by Kate Charlesworth and Bryan and due for publication by Jonathan Cape in May 2014. It follows the fortunes of a maid-of-all-work as she is swept up the feminist activism of Edwardian England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
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June 19, 2025
The fantastical and otherworldly realms of the imagination come to life in the works of artist and author Leonora Carrington. Hybrid figures and strong symbolism of alchemical transformation, feminine agency, and abstract expressions of human desires populate her mystical and marvelous works, leaving her name writ large across history in her signature brushstrokes. Graphic novel duo and couple Mary and Brian Talbot dive into the personal history of the artist in Armed With Madness: The Surreal Leonora Carrington, a brilliantly illustrated visual biography that captures her rambunctious early years, relationship with fellow painter Max Ernst, her time trapped in a mental hospital in Spain at the request of her father, and her flight from Europe during WWII. Brian Talbot’s artwork is a real treat here, expertly illuminating her life while capturing the ethos of the surrealists to bring the imagination into tangible imagery and filling the pages with frequent references to the imagery in Carrington’s actual art. While I wish the book went into more detail about her time in Mexico (particularly her time known as ‘las tres brujas’ with Remedios Varo—who has very little page time—and Kati Horna who doesn’t make an appearance here) but this still makes for an excellent look at the life and legacy of my favorite painter during the anxieties of war-torn Europe and the in-fighting of the surrealist movement. The Talbot’s Armed With Madness is a true feast for the eyes and mind and a wonderful, empathetic look at the life of Leonora Carrington.
Leonora Carrington 1917-2011
I may be a bit biased here as Leonora Carrington is my favorite artist, but this really is one hell of a graphic novel biography. Her “wildness” is portrayed with empathy and there is excellent attention to her thematic oeuvre of mysticism, transformation and…well, weird anthropomorphic creatures.
There is a really excellent pacing here that can deftly move between zooming in and slowing down for key moments or also covering leaps through time with a rather seamless quality. The Talbot’s are well known for excellent non-fiction graphic novel work, having won the Costa Award for biography in 2012 for their debut work, Dotter of Her Father's Eyes, and Mary holds a PhD in critical discourse analysis that guides her writing and focuses her biographical lens. It helps, too, that Leonora Carrington is such a fascinating figure known for a fierceness and her limitless imagination that she channeled into her paintings and literature, such as her best-known novel The Hearing Trumpet .
Carrington at work on ‘The Temptation of St. Anthony’ (left) & ‘The Ancestor’ (right)
Much of the graphic novel uses the torrential and tumultuous relationship between Carrington and Max Ernst, who was 26 years her senior when the two met in 1937, as a vessel to frame a story. Having already been enamoured with the artist upon seeing his work in 1936, Carrington quickly fell in with the surrealists under the often-challenged leadership of André Breton and spent a lot of time with Ernst’s friends such as Paul Éluard and Leonor Fini. The couple moved out of Paris to Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche to avoid Ernst’s wife and settled in a house they filled with art such as fresco paintings and a statue garden.
Carrington & Ernst with their statues (left), Carrington’s portrait of Ernst as The Hermit(right)
World War II would disrupt the couple’s happiness with Ernst detained first by the French for being German and then again by the gestapo for being a “degenerate artist” eventually fleeing Europe for New York by marrying Peggy Guggenheim, the wealthy New York socialite and art collector (you have likely heard of her art museum in Venice). Meanwhile, Carrington attempted to flee but difficulties with paperwork delayed her.
Carrington came from a wealthy English family and her father did not approve of her artistic interests of social groups. He used Ernst’s imprisonment and a desire to keep her safe from the Nazi’s as an excuse to have her placed in a mental hospital in Spain where she suffered greatly.
Been there, its a bummer
Carrington would eventually be briefly married to Renato Leduc, whom she met in the Spanish embassy, in order to secure herself passage out of Europe and would find her way to Mexico where she lived out the rest of her days. Unfortunately the graphic novel does a very quick overview of the rest of her life from here, rapidly moving through her marriage to Chiki Weisz, her and her children’s activism, and brings us to the late years of her life when she would deliver the marvelous quote ‘People under seventy and over seven are very unreliable if they are not cats.’
Armed With Madness: The Surreal Leonora Carrington is clearly made with a lot of respect for the artist and a lot of love for art in general. This is a must for Carrington fans though even readers with no knowledge of her or the surrealists will likely still enjoy–it is just that good. Brilliantly executed and gorgeously illustrated, this is a fantastic and fascinating book that truly brings her legacy to life.
4.5/5
Leonora Carrington 1917-2011
I may be a bit biased here as Leonora Carrington is my favorite artist, but this really is one hell of a graphic novel biography. Her “wildness” is portrayed with empathy and there is excellent attention to her thematic oeuvre of mysticism, transformation and…well, weird anthropomorphic creatures.
There is a really excellent pacing here that can deftly move between zooming in and slowing down for key moments or also covering leaps through time with a rather seamless quality. The Talbot’s are well known for excellent non-fiction graphic novel work, having won the Costa Award for biography in 2012 for their debut work, Dotter of Her Father's Eyes, and Mary holds a PhD in critical discourse analysis that guides her writing and focuses her biographical lens. It helps, too, that Leonora Carrington is such a fascinating figure known for a fierceness and her limitless imagination that she channeled into her paintings and literature, such as her best-known novel The Hearing Trumpet .
Carrington at work on ‘The Temptation of St. Anthony’ (left) & ‘The Ancestor’ (right)
Much of the graphic novel uses the torrential and tumultuous relationship between Carrington and Max Ernst, who was 26 years her senior when the two met in 1937, as a vessel to frame a story. Having already been enamoured with the artist upon seeing his work in 1936, Carrington quickly fell in with the surrealists under the often-challenged leadership of André Breton and spent a lot of time with Ernst’s friends such as Paul Éluard and Leonor Fini. The couple moved out of Paris to Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche to avoid Ernst’s wife and settled in a house they filled with art such as fresco paintings and a statue garden.
Carrington & Ernst with their statues (left), Carrington’s portrait of Ernst as The Hermit(right)
World War II would disrupt the couple’s happiness with Ernst detained first by the French for being German and then again by the gestapo for being a “degenerate artist” eventually fleeing Europe for New York by marrying Peggy Guggenheim, the wealthy New York socialite and art collector (you have likely heard of her art museum in Venice). Meanwhile, Carrington attempted to flee but difficulties with paperwork delayed her.
Carrington came from a wealthy English family and her father did not approve of her artistic interests of social groups. He used Ernst’s imprisonment and a desire to keep her safe from the Nazi’s as an excuse to have her placed in a mental hospital in Spain where she suffered greatly.
Been there, its a bummer
Carrington would eventually be briefly married to Renato Leduc, whom she met in the Spanish embassy, in order to secure herself passage out of Europe and would find her way to Mexico where she lived out the rest of her days. Unfortunately the graphic novel does a very quick overview of the rest of her life from here, rapidly moving through her marriage to Chiki Weisz, her and her children’s activism, and brings us to the late years of her life when she would deliver the marvelous quote ‘People under seventy and over seven are very unreliable if they are not cats.’
Armed With Madness: The Surreal Leonora Carrington is clearly made with a lot of respect for the artist and a lot of love for art in general. This is a must for Carrington fans though even readers with no knowledge of her or the surrealists will likely still enjoy–it is just that good. Brilliantly executed and gorgeously illustrated, this is a fantastic and fascinating book that truly brings her legacy to life.
4.5/5
May 25, 2023
I feel like this was the perfect approach towards depicting Leonora Carrington’s story, with Bryan Talbot’s anthropomorphic artistry complimenting the surrealism of Carrington’s own art and thought. I previously had no knowledge of this figure nor the influence she had on the Mexican surrealist art scene so it was fascinating to engage with her in such a visual way. Again, I discovered this through the author/illustrator event I went to that was showcasing this release so I’m really glad I went and got to get a bit of insight from the author and illustrator themselves on the process of creating and researching the story.
May 28, 2023
this was incredible - the close relationship between bryan and mary was so very evident when reading!! i could really tell the love and research that went into this. i didn’t know anything about leonora carrington prior to seeing bryan and mary speak about this & i’ve learnt so much, i now feel deeply familiar with her. the relationship between the pictures and words was great, they worked together so well. i definitely appreciated this book more having seen bryan and mary speak so lovingly about it
January 26, 2025
wow! 😻 This work is a labor of love, a synergistic creation of Mary and Brian Talbot. This Biography is very well researched yet not dry, richly illustrated/detailed. I highly recommend tabbing the endnotes at the very beginning so that you can refer to them as you read because they highlight the Talbots' creative process and the source material for both visual and textual elements. the only part I didn't like was the very beginning/her childhood. not sure it was necessary or well presented, but otherwise I enjoyed this way more than the red virgin (about Louise Michel).
October 23, 2023
Toks pusė velnio komiksas apie siurrealistę dailininkę ir rašytoją Leonorą Carrington. Gal, kad esu skaičius biografinį Michaela Carter romaną - "Leonora in the Morning Light" ir šiaip daug naršiusi internetą, apžiūrinėjusi nuotraukas su Leonora ir Ernst Max - tai pati Leonoros istorija jau nebesudomino. Kažko labiau tikėjausi ir iš grafikos.
October 20, 2024
Terrible, lo leí rato antes de irme a dormir y no veas que pesadillas esa noche 😞😞😞
May 7, 2024
Estoy entre tres o cuatro estrellas y creo que además es solo la propia figura de Leonora Carrington lo que me hace dudar con el cuatro, más que la ejecución del cómic como narración de su historia. Creo que el libro tiene el problema (que comparten otros comics de la misma pareja de autores) de que si no conoces previamente ya bien la historia sobre la que vas a leer, se acumulan demasiados brochazos de información algo inconexa sobre la que no se contextualiza bien más allá de los brochazos de las notas al final del libro, que sí resultan ilustrativos; pero no sé si funciona como cómic biográfico una obra que puede percibirse enmarañada, incompleta o inacabada y que incluso tras la lectura de las notas finales queda muy corta para entender la trascendencia de hechos fundamentales en la biografía de esta extraordinaria artista.
August 20, 2023
A graphic novel about painter and author Leonora Carrington seems appropriate. I enjoy distinctive comic strip interpretations of history and biography and this is a fine example of matching the media to the content. The theme of divine madness that runs through the story provides the artist opportunity to explore surrealist imagery, especially the symbols recurrent in Carrington's art, in his own, darkly fanciful style. I enjoyed the writing more when I realized this wasn't so much a biography as it was a story about Carrington, told with some liberties. Extensive notes at the back of the book underscore the minor departures from fact.
November 30, 2023
I am not a huge fan of graphic novels, but I really liked Carrington’s The Hearing Trumpet so I was interested in reading this graphic novel about her life. It was interesting, but a little too opaque for me, though that may be a symptom of the genre.
December 30, 2023
A gorgeous book that offers an insightful overview of the artist with arresting visuals.
November 11, 2023
Wow! How better to tell the tale of a surrealist than via a graphic novel, mashing together the artist's works and those of others as well as comic references etc. Carrington's life as film script would be dismissed as too fantastical and eventful, or too dark. This wasn't a comprehensive, academic biography but from what I know of her life it got to the emotional side of things. Even if you aren't interested particularly in the subject, the graphic novel itself is just butt-kickingly good.
And to think, she used to live in Silverdale on Morecambe Bay!
And to think, she used to live in Silverdale on Morecambe Bay!
February 26, 2024
En Europa (no tanto en España), el siglo XX nació con distintas miradas utópicas al futuro, al mundo moderno, reflejadas en las Vanguardias artísticas y sus diversos ismos con fecha de caducidad. No obstante, no sería la naturaleza constantemente transformadora de esos movimientos lo que pondría fin a sus utopías, sino el horror deshumanizador de la Gran Guerra lo que los devolvería al pesimismo y la pesadumbre. Hacia finales del conflicto, en 1917, Inglaterra vería nacer a Leonora Carrington, la artista que se adscribiría al último gran movimiento vanguardista, el Surrealismo, para dar rienda suelta a sus inquietudes, su lírico subconsciente y su afán de libertad.
La académica Mary M. Talbot ha venido desarrollando en la última década junto a su marido, el artista Bryan Talbot, una serie de biografías para reivindicar a mujeres notables como La virgen roja o Sally Heathcote: Sufragista. En el caso de Leonora Carrington el matrimonio da rienda suelta a su creatividad más allá de la suntuosa documentación, fruto de la larga vida de la protagonista, para entregarse a la lírica en sus palabras y al desenfreno artístico en su apartado gráfico. Así, las obras de Carrington permean el relato vital, intercalando la realidad y la suprarrealidad a través de la la iconografía animalística e hiperpasional de la pintora, cabalgando entre símbolos recurrentes y elogios de su locura liberadora.
La cuestión de la salud mental, tan poco comprensiva, tan brutal, queda ligada a las ataduras familiares, morales, sociales y románticas (por llamar de algún modo a su relación con los hombres que la rodearon en su juventud) a las que se ve sometida y cuya ruptura suponen el eje central de la obra. Así, Armada de locura es tanto una biografía como un manifiesto, un amargo recordatorio y una última sonrisa agridulce pero jocosa a una mujer que, efectivamente, halló su liberación al hacer suya la "locura" que se le imponía y romper con ella a través de la expresión artística.
La académica Mary M. Talbot ha venido desarrollando en la última década junto a su marido, el artista Bryan Talbot, una serie de biografías para reivindicar a mujeres notables como La virgen roja o Sally Heathcote: Sufragista. En el caso de Leonora Carrington el matrimonio da rienda suelta a su creatividad más allá de la suntuosa documentación, fruto de la larga vida de la protagonista, para entregarse a la lírica en sus palabras y al desenfreno artístico en su apartado gráfico. Así, las obras de Carrington permean el relato vital, intercalando la realidad y la suprarrealidad a través de la la iconografía animalística e hiperpasional de la pintora, cabalgando entre símbolos recurrentes y elogios de su locura liberadora.
La cuestión de la salud mental, tan poco comprensiva, tan brutal, queda ligada a las ataduras familiares, morales, sociales y románticas (por llamar de algún modo a su relación con los hombres que la rodearon en su juventud) a las que se ve sometida y cuya ruptura suponen el eje central de la obra. Así, Armada de locura es tanto una biografía como un manifiesto, un amargo recordatorio y una última sonrisa agridulce pero jocosa a una mujer que, efectivamente, halló su liberación al hacer suya la "locura" que se le imponía y romper con ella a través de la expresión artística.
January 10, 2024
A truly remarkable and beautiful book about a remarkable and beautiful soul.
I have become a bit obsessed with Leonara Carrington since reading The Hearing Trumpet and falling in love with her art and writing, and this absolutely blew me away.
I don't know enough about her life to know how true an account of her life this is, but it makes sense with the things I have come across.
Her life truly was a magical, brutal, heartbreaking gauntlet and this graphic novel captures it and her art spectacularly!
I absolutely hated The Last Days of New Paris for using Surrealism without engaging with or understanding it. In contrast, while the narrative is a rather traditional biography, the use of Carrington and others Surrealist Imagery and style to. convey emotion and the strangeness of her life is pretty much perfect!
Genuinely made me incredibly happy and absolutely made me cry. Wonderful stuff!
I have become a bit obsessed with Leonara Carrington since reading The Hearing Trumpet and falling in love with her art and writing, and this absolutely blew me away.
I don't know enough about her life to know how true an account of her life this is, but it makes sense with the things I have come across.
Her life truly was a magical, brutal, heartbreaking gauntlet and this graphic novel captures it and her art spectacularly!
I absolutely hated The Last Days of New Paris for using Surrealism without engaging with or understanding it. In contrast, while the narrative is a rather traditional biography, the use of Carrington and others Surrealist Imagery and style to. convey emotion and the strangeness of her life is pretty much perfect!
Genuinely made me incredibly happy and absolutely made me cry. Wonderful stuff!
October 18, 2023
4.25! A nifty, lovely graphic novel that provides a quick glimpse/run-down into Leonora Carrington's life. I thought this was a uniquely done graphic novel. I'm still in awe of the beautiful and unique artwork of this graphic novel and how much care went into making it a love letter to Carrington's work.
I hesitate rating it a 5 because it was hard to follow at some times, though I think this was done on purpose. Other than that, I think it's a great little novel and thankfully provides a chance to get introduced and familiar with an amazing artist!
I had no prior knowledge of Leonora Carrington until I read this, and I have to say, I am enamoured by her artwork now. It is super badass!
I hesitate rating it a 5 because it was hard to follow at some times, though I think this was done on purpose. Other than that, I think it's a great little novel and thankfully provides a chance to get introduced and familiar with an amazing artist!
I had no prior knowledge of Leonora Carrington until I read this, and I have to say, I am enamoured by her artwork now. It is super badass!
June 1, 2023
The artwork really shines here, making Carrington's biography almost as surreal as her paintings.
did-not-finish
June 14, 2023DNF’d about 30 pages in. This book is not for me.
May 23, 2024
How reliable is the narrator? How honest is Carrington's story? Was her madness her greatness or greatness her madness? The complex life of this artist unfolds in a mix of beauty, ugly and something in-between. A product of her time, a rebel of it all, and again, something in-between. This graphic novel sets a tone and never lets you rest. Even in calm moments we assume something is around the corner, something else, some extreme alteration to reality and even the hysteria. There is some nudity (statutes, other art) but also sexual. Even a form of bestiality is also present, as Carrington sees people as animals (sometimes almost complete, but usually half man/half animal and they can morph into that in moments of passion (anger, her whims) she is a horse and hyena; her main lover a (in my opinion) hideous bird-man. NOT an easy read, not for the sensitive reader, and while it would work for stronger/older teens, I don't recommend it for a high school library. There is a maturity that borders on obscene and sheer opulence, with extreme hedonism, selfishness, and greed. I enjoyed things, but came away disturbed. It is a dark and interesting read.
January 12, 2025
A fascinating portrait of a woman from a wealthy background who delves into surrealist art, but is driven mad when she is introduced to the horrors of war after seeing Picasso's painting Guernica, about the destruction of the Basque town of Guernica in Spain by the German and Italian air forces at the behest of the Spanish dictator Franco. It was the first time a civilian population was targeted without being "collateral damage," like most casualties in war. It was not a military target, but it was completely destroyed in three hours. Franco hated the basques for being basques. It was ethnic cleansing.
Her interest in the painting opened her eyes to the horrors of war, ethnic cleansing, Nazism, and Fascism. She could not reconcile the idea of such hate and destruction within the orderly functioning of society, a society she abhorred for its class and patriarchal structure, and the attempt to control her life within it. Her rebellion in her early pampered years led her to 1930s Paris art colonies and artists who represented rebellion and new ideas. She fled the European war for Mexico, where she pursued her art and writing.
Her interest in the painting opened her eyes to the horrors of war, ethnic cleansing, Nazism, and Fascism. She could not reconcile the idea of such hate and destruction within the orderly functioning of society, a society she abhorred for its class and patriarchal structure, and the attempt to control her life within it. Her rebellion in her early pampered years led her to 1930s Paris art colonies and artists who represented rebellion and new ideas. She fled the European war for Mexico, where she pursued her art and writing.
June 20, 2023
I have read a lot of Bryan and Mary's work and enjoyed so much. This title was intriguing as who's heard of Leonora Carrington? I'd just read about Frida Kahlo and didn't remember (or totally missed) the connection to Leonora, so that was interesting. I loved the clever way madness is shown throughout the book and also backgrounds. The reason I gave this 4 stars was that I just didn't come away afterwards remembering anything about Leonora. I shall re-read it soon and might regret writing this comment
Bryan's art needs commenting on too. FANTASTIC. I love his mature artwork much better than his early work ("One Bad Rat" excepted!). The colour changes are brilliant; the models all clearly differentiated and the settings so good.
Bryan's art needs commenting on too. FANTASTIC. I love his mature artwork much better than his early work ("One Bad Rat" excepted!). The colour changes are brilliant; the models all clearly differentiated and the settings so good.
April 12, 2025
I do wonder if I would've gotten more out of this book if I'd heard of Leonora Carrington prior to reading it. I definitely felt as if I'd been thrown into the deep water - lots of names, art scenesters, political movers, and I didn't always keep them straight in my mind. I came to this book as a longtime Bryan Talbot fan, and as a fan of several of his prior collaborations with his wife Mary. I loved Bryan's approach to mixing the surrealism of Carrington's art with the depiction of her life, although in the end, I feel too much went over my head for me to have fully embraced this particular book. Much of that is, as stated earlier, on me for simply not knowing this woman existed prior to picking up the book at the library.
February 26, 2024
Apart from Mary Talbot being a scientist, and thus loading the novel with annotation and a serious bibliography, this is a beautiful little book.
It not only tells the story of Leonara Carrington, but also that of surrealism and the diaspora of European artists during WW2. And, not unimportant there are the stories about the cruel way people with mental problems are treated, in asylums like prisons or primitive convents (by means of Leonora's psychosis and her treatment in Spain), and about refugees, not just herself but Jewish people like her second husband Chiki Weisz.
This is the fifth co-operation with her pencil flinging husband. Maybe their best yet.
It not only tells the story of Leonara Carrington, but also that of surrealism and the diaspora of European artists during WW2. And, not unimportant there are the stories about the cruel way people with mental problems are treated, in asylums like prisons or primitive convents (by means of Leonora's psychosis and her treatment in Spain), and about refugees, not just herself but Jewish people like her second husband Chiki Weisz.
This is the fifth co-operation with her pencil flinging husband. Maybe their best yet.
March 6, 2024
Mary and Bryan Talbot's latest historical biography, on the fascinating life of Surrealist artist and writer Leonora Carrington. I discovered Carrington's work only recently, so was interested to see their approach to the subject. While masterfully done, I found the book rather distancing; I suspect it is loaded with references to Carrington's work which went over my head. Also, one has little sense of her functional career and how she was regarding by the art world, and her later life as a political activist is barely touched on. Still, all the Talbot's projects are worth reading and this is as well.
July 8, 2024
Un libro para conocer a la gran Leonora Carrington. Creo que puede servir muy bien para tomar un primer contacto con su figura, ya que lo ideal es complementar su lectura con la búsqueda de información adicional para descubrir toda la historia, vivencias y obras de Leonora.
Las ilustraciones son maravillosas y contienen elementos que son guiño a cuadros de la autora u otros artistas, así como los textos de las viñetas. Las notas del final del libro añaden un extra a la lectura.
Las ilustraciones son maravillosas y contienen elementos que son guiño a cuadros de la autora u otros artistas, así como los textos de las viñetas. Las notas del final del libro añaden un extra a la lectura.
July 11, 2024
Absolutely brilliant!
I really loved the way the art and surreal imagery was used to convey the emotional and psychological torment Leonora endured at various points in her life. I love that this book tried to capture her unique perspective on the world (I'm pretty sure Leonora was autistic) while emphasizing what an incredible artist, creative thinker, and human being she was. I wish more people knew about her.
I really loved the way the art and surreal imagery was used to convey the emotional and psychological torment Leonora endured at various points in her life. I love that this book tried to capture her unique perspective on the world (I'm pretty sure Leonora was autistic) while emphasizing what an incredible artist, creative thinker, and human being she was. I wish more people knew about her.
June 13, 2023
An interesting historical character is brought to life. Leonora's story is wonderfully brought to life with some brilliant illustrations.
August 5, 2023
Absurd feminist propaganda in a heavy and boring story.
Don't bother
Don't bother
December 11, 2023
Great graphics and interesting unknown artist!!
June 29, 2024
Un cómic biográfico bastante hermoso a nivel artístico por la adaptación que realiza del estilo tan característico de la pintora para narrar los hechos importantes de su vida.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews