Au Coeur de la Paresse
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Object Label
Surrealism, a visual and literary movement founded in 1924, originated as a European response to the First World War. Yves Tanguy painted Surrealist landscapes devoid of human figures throughout his career.
Composition and Robe du Matin—created during Tanguy’s self-imposed exile in the United States in the wake of World War II—speak to the irrationality of war and the annihilation of Europe’s people. Using Surrealist free association and unexpected juxtapositions, Tanguy frames vast voids with interlocking forms that resemble body parts and spindly rods. His dreamlike deviations from the natural world reflect Surrealism’s interest in Freudian psychology and the subconscious, and perhaps the postwar landscape of 1946 Europe.
Caption
Yves Tanguy Paris, France, 1900 – 1955, Woodbury, Connecticut. Au Coeur de la Paresse, 1946. Oil on canvas, 39 × 32 in. (99.1 × 81.3 cm) frame: 43 × 35 3/4 × 4 in. (109.2 × 90.8 × 10.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of The Beatrice and Samuel A. Seaver Foundation, 2004.30.26. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2004.30.26_SL3.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Au Coeur de la Paresse
Date
1946
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
39 × 32 in. (99.1 × 81.3 cm) frame: 43 × 35 3/4 × 4 in. (109.2 × 90.8 × 10.2 cm)
Signatures
Lower left in black ink: "Yves Tanguy, 1946"
Inscriptions
Label on board: Pierre Matisse Gallery/ 41 East 57 St, New York 22, NY/ Artist: Yves Tanguy Title: Au Coeur de la parene/ No. ST A763/ Size 39x32
Credit Line
Gift of The Beatrice and Samuel A. Seaver Foundation
Accession Number
2004.30.26
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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Frequent Art Questions
I would like to know more about this painting please
This image is by Yves Tanguy, and is representative of the Surrealist style that became popular in the early 20th century, especially in Paris. Tanguy joined the Surrealist group in 1925, reacting to the horrors of World War I by creating artwork that explored dream analysis and the unconscious. This otherworldly landscape is typical of the style.What does the title mean in English?
It means "At the Heart of Indolence" or "At the Heard of Laziness." Tanguy's surrealist landscapes are said to be inspired by rock formations in France, Africa, South America and even Arizona. Perhaps this vista is reminiscent of a place where the artist felt quite indolent.The tongue-basihyal-like structure towards the bottom of the painting looks like it might be something found in a shark's mouth.
Sharks do have a form of tongue. According to a quick search it's a structure known as a basihyal. Also, the artist's vistas were inspired by memories of rock formations in France, his travels to Africa and South America, and a visit to Arizona.In what century was the visual and literary movement of “Surrealism” founded?
The first artists that would have called themselves Surrealists worked in the 20th century. The time from 1924 to 1966 are the general dates of an organized Surrealist Movement. Artists were heavily influenced by new ideas about the psyche, the unconscious, and imagination.Were people really into Freudian thought when this was first released?
Surrealists certainly were! Surrealism got its start in the 1920s when Freudian psychology was, indeed, very popular.In the years immediately following the Second World War, the West saw a booming demand for psychotherapy, with techniques that were pioneered by Freud. Functioning people, traumatized by the war, were seeking treatment outside of the asylum system.I see, and this piece was about the devastation of war?Yes. Tanguy, like his surrealist contemporaries, was influenced by the destruction of World War I. This composition could be a representation of the postwar landscape of Europe.Thank you very much.
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