Hélène Vanel in L’Acte manqué (The Unconsummated Act), 1938
Even though the Surrealists in general and their attitude towards insanity and psychology in particular have been extensively studied, their unique approach to hysteria through their first ever performance piece, L'Acte manqué/The Unconsummated Act, presented at the Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme in 1938, has never been analyzed in detail. The opening of the exhibition featured at midnight, a half-naked dancer, Hélène Vanel, who, thrashing, twitching and shouting ran into the middle of the crowd to give a dramatic, and only too real, impression of a hysterical attack. Her seemingly chaotic movements have been dismissed by most scholars as a mere manifestation of sexual frustration. This article intends to show that, on the contrary, the Unconsummated Act has a complex, intriguing structure, which transforms the event into a fascinating example of avant-garde artistic approach to hysteria, considered by Surrealists to be an act of social rebellion….
Title: Pfc George A. Guckenberger, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division in his foxhole during the siege of Bastogne. This photograph is probably the last picture of him, as he was KIA 76 years ago, on January 14th, 1945 at the age of 22. [1167x1665]
The Arming and Departure of the Knights (Holy Grail Tapestry, pt. II), Edward Burne-Jones (English), 1891-4, wool and silk on cotton warp, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
And thus a generation of fantasy novel cover illustrations was inspired.
“Saïd Abdullah of the Mayac, Kingdom of the Darfur (Sudan)” (1848)
“African Venus” (1851)
Located in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
During the 19th century, “African Venus” and “Saïd Abdullah” were regarded as powerful expressions of nobility and dignity after the abolishment of slavery in France in 1848.
