Out of This World: The Surreal Art of Leonora Carrington

K-Gr 4—Markel describes the journey of Leonora Carrington from her privileged childhood and her mutinous days as a school girl to her flourishing career in Paris and Mexico City. In the narrative, Carrington's imagination turns domestic spaces and scenes of war into fantastical landscapes full of animal-women and mystical creatures. Surrealism is explained discreetly as Carrington paints against conventions of class, gender, and aesthetics. Hall's illustrations effectively mimic Carrington's style, with wonky perspectives, muted backgrounds, contrasting flashes of color, and delicate line work. The more famous (mostly male) surrealists whom Carrington befriended are never allowed to upstage her story. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera saunter by on one page; the "leader" of the surrealists remains unnamed lurking in a corner. Carrington's relationship with Max Ernst receives far less page-space than the strong female friendship she shared with Remedios Varo. In a time where STEM narratives for girls are gaining ground, Carrington's happy obsession with "cats, stones, and magic crystals" provides a reminder that rebellion comes in different forms. Despite being born into a wealthy family, the artist pursued a career that ensured she was "never rich and never proper."