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André-Aimé-René Masson

(1896-1987) André-Aimé-René Masson was born in Balagny-sur-Thérain, near Senlis in Picardy, but was raised in Belgium. He studied art in Brussels and Paris. Masson’s early works display an interest in cubism. He later became associated with surrealism, and he was one of the most enthusiastic employers of automatic drawing, making a number of automatic works in pen and ink. Masson would often force himself to work under strict conditions, for example, after long periods of time without food or sleep or under the influence of drugs. He believed forcing himself into a reduced state of consciousness would help his art be free from rational control and hence get closer to the workings of his subconscious mind.

From around 1926 he experimented by throwing sand and glue onto canvas and making oil paintings based around the shapes that formed. By the end of the 1920s he found automatism rather restricting and he left the surrealist movement. He turned instead to a more structured style, often producing works with a violent or erotic theme and making a number of paintings in reaction to the Spanish Civil War