CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 1/14/2014

Leonora Carrington

The Giantess (The Guardian of the Egg) (circa 1947), is reproduced from Leonora Carrington, the first overview of this important figurative Surrealist's work to be published since her death in 2011 at the age of 94. Beautifully produced, with a faux-leather binding, a die-cut cover with foil stamping and 138 color plates (including two gatefolds), this volume looks at the many influences on Carrington’s many lives, exploring the Celtic imagery that enchanted her as a child and the Mexican myths, imagery and stories that informed the second half of her career. Seán Kissane quotes Abby McEwen in his catalogue essay: "Deeply stimulated by her reading of Robert Graves' The White Goddess in 1949, Carrington explored the cult of the Mother Goddess in paintings such as The Giantess, drawing out the psychic prowess of the Goddess, her regenerative life-giving properties, and her fertile creative powers. This Goddess-centered spirituality, benevolent and nurturing, emanates from the giantess: the birds flock from her robes, and between her palms she clasps a mysterious black egg, perhaps the source of new life. Painted in softly gleaming tones that recall the techniques of the Old Masters, The Giantess embodies Carrington's fascination with a mystical femininity and the enchantments of the cosmic world."