Blooming Flowers

Surrealism Impact

Ithell Colquhoun studied at the Cheltenham Ladies College where she was taught the cabbala and occult philosophy, which is based on relying on self knowledge to be able to guide them through their destinies and future. She then studied at the Slade School of Art in London and later joined the International Exhibition of Surrealism in New Burlington galleries throughout the month of July in the year 1936. Because of this, she was able to make an acquaintance with the famous Spanish painter Salvador Dali with whom she exchanged ideologies that later made an appearance in her art. Salvador Dali was a Spanish painter who dedicated his work to surrealism and exploring inner thought. Later in 1939, she officially joined the surrealism movement by participating in an exhibition in the Major Gallery in June of 1939. Thanks to Andre Brettum, the leader of the surrealist movement, Colquhoun was able to gain an understanding of ‘automatic’ painting techniques that were introduced by Matta and Gordon Onslow-Ford. Later, she introduced the idea of depicting mental space in artwork.

Tate. “Ithell Colquhoun 1906–1988.” Tate, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/ithell-colquhoun-931.

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Earthquake

Chile is a narrow and long country located in Western South America. A country rich in industrious culture and resource rich lands. Chile stands on top of a tectonic plate boundary and a subduction zone called Peru-Chile trench. Subduction earthquakes are the most strong and damaging of all these types of earthquakes. On January 24, 1939 the country was devastated by a terrible earthquake. It had an intensity of 8.3 magnitude (Richter scale) and it lasted about 3 minutes. Buildings fell, streets ruptured and swallowed whole villages, 60,000 people injured, and around 50,000 people died. Great Britain and the United States sent aid to help those who survived and to rebuild the city. This caused a major impact in the economic, social, and political progress. Evidently, this influenced the depth of the crisis started by the Great Depression (1930s)  in the United States which later influenced Latin American countries such as Chile.  The fact that several tragic events took place in Chile inspired various artists around the world to express their feelings and opinions through surrealist art. This gave them the opportunity to design and demonstrate their own point of view from reality. These characteristics are present in Ithel Colquhoun’s work. 

“Chillan Earthquake – 1939.” Devastating Disasters, https://devastatingdisasters.com/chillan-earthquake-1939/.

Earthquake in Chile (1939) - Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtAPZsvhByY.

Nazi Germany invasion on Poland

On September 1st, 1939 German forces, under the control of Adolf Hitler, invaded the Polish capital, Warsaw. Causing the beginning of World War II (Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939). The night before (August 31st, 1939), German troops disguised as Polish soldiers in order to make it appear as if Poland was making an aggression against Germany. The next morning, German forces sent about 1.5 million troops from the north, south, and west borders supported by air raids targeting the Polish capital. The Polish army had 1.3 million troops and could not resist the German forces because they were much better supplied and trained. Germany's weapons were more mechanized and their troops were more prepared since they had been in previous wars recently (World War I just 25 years before). 5 days later, Germany forced the Polish army to retreat and they gained complete control of Poland. The country evacuated, giving Germany the ability to regain lost territory and simultaneously acquire control over their East neighboring country. Soon after, the Nazi ideology started to spread across Europe. The tragedy of World War II is reflected in Ithel Colquhoun’s art where she explores consciousness and subconsciousness of the United Kingdom during the war. 

Lee, Timothy B. “75 Years Ago, Hitler Invaded Poland. Here's How It Happened.” Vox, Vox, 1 Sept. 2014, https://www.vox.com/2014/9/1/6084029/hitlers-invasion-of-poland-explain….

1st September 1939: Nazi Germany Invades ... - Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyfJwJkqQMU.

Nazi Germany invasion of Poland,  the Chillan Earthquake, and Ithel Colquhoun’s involvement in the surrealism movement all happened the same year. These are all significant events that occurred in 1939, the same year Ithell Colquhoun painted Gouffres Amers which translates in English as “Bitter Chasms”: a dark cleft in the surface of the earth. The skeleton in the image represents the inner thoughts of anyone who survived through this catastrophic year. The skeleton rests on a rough surface filled with emptiness and torment. She uses dark shades of colors to portray the skeleton’s feelings of loneliness and alienation. Inside the skeleton Cloquhoun painted blooming flowers and vivid colors which foreshadows that regardless of all the devastating events that occurred this year she still has hope in humankind and nature. The political, environmental, and human impact of the events prior mentioned match the deterioration depicted in Gouffres Amers.