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What subjects appeared in Leonora Carrington’s Surrealist art and writing?

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René Magritte: Time Transfixed — Surrealism A visitor to the Tate Liverpool viewing *Time Transfixed*, oil on canvas by René Magritte, 1938; during the exhibition “Rene Magritte: The Pleasure Principle,” 2011.

Leonora Carrington’s Surrealist art and writing are characterized by haunting, autobiographical, and often inscrutable themes. Her work frequently incorporates imagery related to sorcery, metamorphosis, alchemy, and the occult.12

Key subjects and motifs in her work include:

Animals: Carrington maintained a lifelong love of animals, with horses and hyenas appearing prominently in both her paintings and her short stories, such as The House of Fear (1938) and The Oval Lady (1938).1
Mythology and Folklore: Influenced by her upbringing, she integrated elements of Celtic mythology and Irish folklore into her creative output.1
Domesticity and Identity: Following her move to Mexico, her work began to explore themes of domesticity and motherhood, often infused with magical or supernatural elements. She also produced paintings featuring groupings of women, which are believed to represent herself and her close friends, such as Remedios Varo and Kati Horna.1
Personal Experience: Her writing, particularly the book Down Below (1944), documented her traumatic experiences in a mental institution in Spain, while her novel The Hearing Trumpet (1974) utilized surrealistic storytelling to explore themes of aging and discovery.1