Remedios Varo

Remedios Varo (María de los Remedios Alicia Rodriga Varo y Uranga; 1908 – 1963) was a Spanish Surrealist artist, who also worked in France and Mexico. Varo was one of the few acknowledged female Surrealist painters of the first half of the 20th century. Her unique and peculiar approach to Surrealism was shaped early in her childhood and adolescence, fuelled by a multicultural background and upbringing. Varo combined mystical beings and utopic machines to give birth to her unique and enchanting style. She adopted mysticism and the occult as her main theme, dismissing Christian and religious symbolism. She is known for her enchanting and meticulously detailed paintings that blended elements of magic, alchemy, and mythology. Varo’s signature techniques were a juxtaposition of elements, a fumage, a utopic composition, and the use of well-balanced colours and contrasts.