Remedios Varo: Unexpected Journeys [Paperback]

Janet A. Kaplan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2000

The adventures that fill the strange and wonderful paintings by Remedios Varo (1908-1963) reflect the physical and psychological journeys of her own tumultuous life. Raised in a strict Spanish family and rigorously trained in academic art, Varo first found escape in Barcelona's bohemian avant-garde. After fleeing the Spanish Civil War with the poet Benjamin Peret, later her husband, she entered the inner circle of the Surrealists in Paris. Forced to flee again by the Nazis, she and Peret faced a year of mounting danger in Marseilles before securing passage to Mexico. Finding welcome refuge in Mexico City, where she remained until her death, Varo produced the extraordinary paintings for which she gained renown.

Painted with a jewel-like palette and old-master precision, Varo's intimate tableaux, rich with details of women's experience, tell fantasy tales of alchemy, science, mysticism, and magic. Fifty color reproductions capture the wit and beauty of her major paintings; numerous black-and-white illustrations document other works and portray the compelling artist with her circle of lifelong friends and admirers. The book is further enlivened by her own voice, conveyed in hilarious letters and surreal stories, published here for the first time.

An instant celebrity in Mexico -- where her retrospectives have drawn record crowds -- Varo has recently found enthusiastic audiences in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. A retrospective of her work opens at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., in February 2000.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kaplan has written a lively, informative narrative that zips along like an adventure story." -- Philadelphia Inquirer

"This beautifully written and illustrated book, full of wonders, is a joy to read and behold. This journey through the art and life of Remedios Varo with Janet Kaplan as guide is art history and art criticism at its best." -- Belles Lettres

About the Author

Janet A. Kaplan is currently Professor of Art History at Moore College of Art and Design and Editor of the Art Journal. She lives in Philadelphia

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Press (May 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789206277
• ISBN-13: 978-0789206275
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #302,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A competent and sensitive biography, June 19, 2000

By 

E. Karasik (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Remedios Varo: Unexpected Journeys (Paperback)

My only complaint about this biography is that it left me wanting even more information. The material that was included was presented in a coherent, informative, and sensitive manner. Ms. Kaplan does an admirable job of summarizing Ms. Varo's fascinating life and illuminating the complex themes and techniques which characterize her paintings. Certainly this is a must read for any woman artist, student of surrealism, or anyone who is enchanted by the marriage of magic and science achieved by Ms. Varo's miraculous paintings. However, in comparison to some of the other recently published biographies (e.g. "The Unknown Matisse") , the material seems a bit thin. There is a paucity of information from original sources such as journals and letters, although perhaps this is a question of availability. The result, unfortunately, is that while I came away from the book feeling as though I had an excellent introduction to Ms. Varo's life and work, I did not feel that I had experienced the texture of her life which would come from reading a more richly detailed biography.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful...and well worth the price!, August 28, 2004

By 

someone - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remedios Varo: Unexpected Journeys (Paperback)

If you have stumbled upon this wonderful book, then I congratulate you. The next step is to buy it, because it is the only comprehensive book on Remedios Varo I know of. If you are not familiar with the work of Varo, she was a Surrealist painter and a contemporary of such artists as Dali, Magritte, and Leonora Carrington (to whom she is frequently compared, though in my humble opinion Varo's work is much more fantastic and delicate). Her work, though shamefully underrated, establishes her as an extremely talented artist with an eye for incredible detail and an imagination that rivals that of Bosch and Dali. As for the book itself, Janet Kaplan has done an incredible amount of research (she actually had to travel to Spain and Mexico to get the information) for this book, which offers Varo's biography and some excellent interpretations of her paintings, which are reproduced on the pages in gorgeous, large color plates and even more black and white sketches and prints. Please buy this book and familiarize yourself with Remedios Varo, despite the brow-raising price: to allow her to remain unnoticed would be a travesty.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars intelligent insight on the works of Remedios Varo, June 4, 2000

By 

Chris Lane - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remedios Varo: Unexpected Journeys (Paperback)

Janet A. Kaplan examines the exquisite works of Remedios Varo from childhood until death. Kaplan creates an intelligent discussion on Varo's pieces by thoroughly examining the influences and events in Varo's life that are directly related to her mystical canvases. Not only is Kaplan's writing eloquent, Varo's paintings, sketches, and photographs are seen continually throughout the book. I would highly recommend this book to any individual who is interested in learning more about Remedios Varo or women in the Surrealist movement.