Self-Portrait and Autobiography

Alice RahonWW-1948-015870

1948·Oil and sand on canvas·73.6 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22 in.)

<p>Alice Rahon represented herself in this composition with a pallete in hand, standing atop a series of ascending switchbacks lined with abstracted depictions of animals, people, mountains, and trees. The self-portrait—one of just two the artist created—alludes to her itinerant lifestyle and her journey to becoming a painter. Originally a Surrealist poet based in Paris, Rahon left France in 1939 for Mexico City, where she took up painting as well as sculpture. Her fascination with the cultures and landscapes of Mexico led her to develop a style inspired by Paleolithic cave art. This work's shimmering surface is composed of materials sourced from nature, including sand and volcanic ash, further grounding it in the place where it was created.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1948
Medium: Oil and sand on canvas
Dimensions: 73.6 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Alice Rahon

Artist

Alice Rahon

Painting

Alice Phillipot (Alice Rahon) (8 June 1904 – September 1987) was a French-born Mexican poet and artist whose work contributed to the beginning of abstract expression in Mexico. She began as a surrealist poet in Europe but began painting in Mexico. She was a prolific artist from the late 1940s to the 1960s, exhibiting frequently in Mexico and the United States, with a wide circle of friends in these two countries. Her work remained tied to surrealism but was also innovative, including abstract elements and the use of techniques such as sgraffito and the use of sand for texture. She became isolated in her later life due to health issues.

Chenecey-Buillon, France

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