Unexpected journeys: The art and life of Remedios Varo

by Janet A. Kaplan

Las aventuras que llenan las extrañas y maravillosas pinturas de Remedios Varo (1908-1963) reflejan los viajes físicos y psicológicos de su propia vida la vanguardia bohemia en Barcelona; la Guerra Civil española; el círculo íntimo de los surrealistas parisinos; la huida del acoso nazi, y una nueva residencia en la tierra, México. La vívida y espléndida biografía de Janet A. Kaplan entreteje la azarosa vida de Varo, el hermetismo de su alma y la exquisita obra de la artista. Además, cincuenta reproducciones a color muestran el humor y la belleza de sus obras mayores, y las numerosas ilustraciones en blanco y negro captan a la pintora y a sus amigos, que también dejaron huellas fuertes.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Biography, Art History, Spain, Biography Memoir, Surreal

286 pages, Unknown Binding

First published September 1, 1988

Reviews

[HeavyReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible, awesome, amazing, fantastic, and wonderful. I do not have the words to say how good this book is.

It's the biography of Remedios Varo, a female surrealist painter of whom most people have never heard. I found out about her when I read an article in the now defunt Sojourner newspaper about a very rare exhibit of her work in Chicago. From that moment, I was fascinated.

I don't understand why I have heard of Magritte and Dali and Duchamp, but never Varos. Her work is just as good (better) than theirs. Hmmm, I wonder if it's because she is a woman and hasn't been taken seriously.

In any case, this book is a biography, and also includes many full color reproductions of her work. I go back to it again and again and just look at the pictures, which are mesmerizing and beautiful. This is one of those books that I want to hang on to forever.

Highly recommended.

[lisa_emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was studying art history, I came across the women surrealists, my teacher was a expert in the field (Whitney Chadwick). What an amazing world, and Remedios Varo is one of my favourites. She, along with Leonora Carrington, emigrated to Mexico during WWII, and created a visionary, mystical art world around themselves. I loved Varo's work in particular, because of its highly detailed, illustrative quality. When I saw her paintings in person, I was even more blownaway by its beauty and power, things which were not conveyed in reproduction. This book is the only English biography on Varo and is well worth reading.

[Telyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to the luminous, eerie, unearthly paintings of Mexican surrealist Remedios Varo. There aren't quite enough color plates, but the ones included are beautifully reproduced, and augmented by numerous photographs of the artist and her contemporaries as well as black and white images of Varo's paintings and drawings and even some of her early and extremely weird commercial artwork. Author Janet Kaplan has written an intelligent and interesting biography of Varo and provides insight into the artist's complex and deeply symbolic work. Highly recommended.

[Renee Trepagnier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remedios Varo is an incredibly inspiring and magical Surrealist and Kaplan does a great job of bringing together her life and work.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book... is beautiful! Aside from using it as a cornerstone for my Art History BA thesis, it is now one of my favorite things that I have ever read. Remedios Varo's life, art, voice, etc. are gorgeous, layered, complex, and Kaplan manages to communicate so much about someone who lived such a HUGE life in a stunning way. The book is perfectly organized and filled with quotes from Varo and various people who played roles in her magical life, including Leonora Carrington, another character that I absolutely idolize.
I recommend this book for anyone interested in Varo-- but also anyone interested in art history as a whole, particularly surrealism and the role within it that was played by women.
This book is whimsical, poetic, beautiful. Perfect.

[Emily Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't let the fact that it took me approximately a year and a half to read this book fool you into thinking I didn't like it. Mostly, I was savoring it. The best thing about it is the opportunity to see lots of images of Remedios Varos' work. That's all this book really needed to be for me. And that's all it was for awhile. But the biographical details are really interesting as well. I'm not sure it's the best biography ever written - but it's very likely the ONLY one written of this amazing artist, so it's probably the best bio of her!

[Isabella vdH · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an absolute mystery to me that Remedios Varo is a ‘forgotten’ artist in the world today. What an absolutely fascinating life, woman and artist. As I plan to write my thesis on one of her paintings, and during my research and discussion of her work with other’s, the obscurity’ of her work, even in circles of supposed ‘art connoisseurs’ continues to shock me. Of course, I cannot fully blame them, the lack of attention to female artists is a societial and institutional issue, but yet, the more I familiarize myself with her art and life, I cannot understand why she has not been given more attention. I really must thank the person who introduced Varo to me, beautiful, magical and fascinating world has been opened to me. Only at the end did I realize this Varo biography was written in the 80’s, and it is sad to realize that very little has changed in the attention and attitude given to Remedios Varo’s work in the almost 40 years since. This Kaplan biography was a wonderful introduction to Varo, and special in the fact that Kaplan was able to discuss her life with many of Varo’s relatives and friends. I certainly recommend the book, and yet even if a full biography to this artists feels like too much of a commitment, I cannot help but insist that people familiarize themselves with Varo (as well as with her friend Leonora Carrington and the ‘women of surrealism’) by searching their work, reading shorter articles, or listening to some wonderful podcast episodes dedicated to their work.

[Taylor Zartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I am biased in my love for Varo, but what a thorough and tender biography. A delight to read. And as a historian interested in biographical work myself, it is inspiring and motivating to read something as beautifully crafted as this.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful biography (the only one, I think) about an undervalued painter that does what a good biography should do, which is to present the narrative of a person's life in a clear and interesting fashion, without too much pointless minutia. I especially enjoyed learning about her influences (Renaissance art, alchemy, Jungian psychology) and connections to the Parisian Surrealist scene, as well as Kaplan's studies and interpretations of Varo's highly detailed paintings. The reproductions included are quite good, too.

[Birdief · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books about one of my favourite artists. Varo's work is amazing, and her life, though sadly short, was rich and productive. Kaplan gives a good account of both, and my only complaint is that though numerous, the small format of the book ( for an art book) means that the illustrations are not nearly big enough. Nevertheless I pore over them fairly often. A book to read and reread and if you have any interest in the women surrealists a must read.

[Otone · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few books on Remedios Varo's incredible life; a thorough and meticulously researched glimpse into Varo's intricate work with beautiful plates showing her fascinating Surrealist paintings (a rather disheartening proportion of Varo's paintings are purportedly in private collections - when will we ever be able to see these?!). It's a true shame this is either out of print or horrendously expensive!

[Katsumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wonderful book let the reader know Remedios Varo as a painter and as a woman. It gives a perspective of the world in those years and helps understand the surrealism as a unique movement in the arts. It has plates in color of the most famous paintings of Varo and a complete explanation of them with a very complete bibliography.

[Lucio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this Spanish artist while looking through books on mathematics. Her painting "Harmony" was on the cover of a book on the square root of negative one. Riveting, psychologically stirring, and mystical.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

fascinating art and artist. biography about Remedios Varo, her struggle as a woman in the sexist world of art in the early to mid 1900s in Mexico City. Originally born in Spain, but fled Europe during Fascist takeover.

[Tristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of most favorite books in the world. Diving so deeply into the life and work of this incredible woman and artist is a treat I want to give myself many times over. Every time I look at her paintings, I am inspired and amazed.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very readable biography, amply salted with photos and artwork. I found the discussion of Varo's work a little flat, but the narrative of her life reflected Varo's vitality and did great work in depicting her changing environments, cohorts, and aesthetic concerns.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating artist arises as WWII rips Spain apart and forces many citizens to flee to South America. This book showcases artwork she generated in Mexico from the middle of her life on. Magical stuff.

[Derek Fenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoah! "What you grow up with you are given dogmatically, what you find you conquer yourself." Now only if there was a collection of her writings in an English translation.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrations were gorgeous but text was dry. She is one of my favorite painters; I love surrealist art. The cover painting is entitled "Exploration of the source of the Orinoco."

[Story · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and inspiring.

[Correen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Varo has been my favorite artist for many years. I have several of her prints but have not read her biography until know. She is even more interesting than I thought before.

Her life as twice an exile living hand-to-mouth with a group of surrealist artists, supporting herself with commercial art jobs, and incorporating her many interests and sources of knowledge into her work gave her the experience to create astounding art. As with other responders, I have also wondered why she has not been as well known as other artists.

Varo creates well researched, highly detailed, classically rendered paintings that are also fanciful, ironic, and filled with storied imagery. The people who influenced outside the world of surrealists include Bosch, El Greco, Goya, Einstein, and the scientific thinkers of that time. I was drawn to the painting, "Harmony," because of the scientific images but the amount of scientific information and commentary in her work far exceeded what I saw when I first saw it. Two other paintings that address the scientific theories of Einstein present her thinking about time and gravity -- "Revelation" and "Phenomenon of Weightlessness."

I loved the biography -- thought it presented a reasonably thorough and interesting picture of Remedios Varo.

[Diego Barrios · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yo leí la tercera edición de la editorial Ediciones Era. Esto es importante porque mi mayor crítica es que en esta traducción al español hay múltiples errores de ortografía que no deben de haber y mucho menos en una tercera edición. De manera similar, como lector me pareció bastante incómodo y poco eficaz el acompañamiento visual, ya que, en ocasiones se explicaba una comparación o un cuadro que no vendría páginas después, o que ya había pasado ; mientras que en la misma página también había otras imágenes, completamente ajenas a lo que se estaba hablando en esta misma. Por lo que, la califico bajo por estos errores pequeños pero, fundamentales para ser un libro de arte.

Fuera de lo negativo, fue impresionante la acertada explicación de las obras, en donde cada adjetivo era puntualmente pertinente. Por otra parte, la profundidad de explicar simultáneamente su vida, la de su círculo cercano y sus obras, otorga un panorama de causa y efecto sobre su vida, que deja muy en claro los orígenes de su identidad, como individuo y como artista.

[Kallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaplan does an excellent job of presenting Varo -- her life and close relations, work, style, mastery of technique and methods of experimentation, artistic influences, artistic community and how these artists supported one another. Kaplan admires Varo and fondly yet unsentimentally describes a grounded yet very sensitive artist whose work is both recognizable and inimitable. I suppose it could be done, but anyone who can employ symbolism so finely in such a unique style . . . well, it's hard to imagine that person. Nevertheless one can see the influences and Kaplan illustrates those, also demonstrating how Varo absorbed what she saw and made it her own in her paintings. Her mastery and unique use of perspective are mind-boggling; comparisons to de Chirico's use of perspective and architecture are apt, but the results are very different in sensibility. The book includes many high-quality illustrations of Varo's work, which do well to support Kaplan's presentation of Varo as one of the premiere surrealists of her time.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una lectura fundamental para entender a Remedios Varo. Aunque ahora que han pasado unos años, merecería una actualización.

Kaplan hace un análisis general de los aspectos básicos de su obra, con especial énfasis en el surrealismo. Lo más interesante de este libro es la profundidad con la que analiza su biografía. Sería interesante que desarrollara más algunos aspectos muy relevantes para su obra mexicana, como el misticismo y el ocultismo (la alquimia, el Cuarto Camino, la wicca...).

Ha escrito algunos artículos depués de este que complementan un poco su visión sobre Varo. El más interesantes está publicado en Cinco llaves del mundo secreto de Remedios Varo y en Caminos de la creación y el exilio :)

[Araceli Rotaeche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente libro. Aporta un panorama muy completo de la vida y obra de Remedios Varo.
El análisis de las obras que presenta son muy interesantes.
Después de leer esas reflexiones y observar las pinturas, el sentido y el significado de cada una se intensifica. Me cautivaron varias de ellas.
Entender la personalidad de Remedios es complicado. Verdaderamente se trata de una figura especial y única. Interesante su vida y su destino. Mismo que la trajo a México. Lugar en el que floreció y en el que más destacó como artista.
¡Me fascinó este libro!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book narrating the life and trials of Remedios Varo, one of the many feminine painters left behind under a coat of misogyny.
unexpectedly adds humane detail to WWII and illuminates the humanness of people struggling to get by in the genocide and Spanish civil war.
4 stars, I picked this book up only for the images of her paintings, and ended up loving the text as well.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was just about to recommend this book elsewhere, then realized that I had never plugged it out here. Gorgeous reproductions of Varo's work as well as a fascinating biography. If you're interested in women artists, surrealism, science and mathematics in art or just plain gorgeous paintings, you're in for a treat.

[Margaux Tatin Blanc]

FANTASTIC BOOK... I LOVE REMEDIO VAROS SO MUCH...
JANET KAPLAN REALLY TRIES TO GO OVER THE DETAILS OF HER LIFE, AND UNDERSTAND THE LIFE OF SOMEONE WHO WAS AN OUTSIDER ALL HER LIFE... AND WHO FOUND HER MAGICAL SELF IN PART BECAUSE OF A DEEP FRIENDSHIP WITH ANOTHER WOMAN ARTIST...

[Ianju Gytnnrq30 4y3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

a book realistic

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro súper completo y muy exhaustivo en el que se analizan tanto la obra como la vida de Remedios Varo. Una joya.