How did Roberto Matta use biomorphic forms in his Surrealist paintings?

In his Surrealist paintings, Roberto Matta utilized a distinctive vocabulary of biomorphic forms to populate mysterious, multidimensional environments. By the time he moved to New York City, he had developed a style characterized by these forms swirling within eerie, angst-ridden settings.1

Matta’s approach combined the Surrealist interest in psychic automatism with a focus on vaguely figural elements that appeared to be in states of flux and crisis. Drawing on his background in architecture, he constructed perpetually shifting, multidimensional spaces where planes of transparent color intersected with strange, mechanistic objects. These biomorphic and mechanistic shapes, rendered with a draftsman’s precision, were often caught in violent conflict or agitated movement, reflecting the psychological ambiguity, dislocation, and anxiety of the post-World War II era. Through these visionary compositions, Matta sought to reveal the emotional, cultural, and economic forces he believed shaped the modern world.12