Week #38, Curious Creatures III

Dusti Bongé, Untitled (Surrealist Figures with Giraffe), c. 1950 watercolor on paper, 12” x 9”..

There are relatively few of Dusti Bongé’s Keyhole People that feature animals. So, this week we offer one of the rarer ones that does have an animal-like creature in addition to the human figures. And it’s not just any old run of the mill animal in this case.

As the parenthetical title of this work indicates, there is one critter in this composition that, with its distinctive spots, and exaggerated proportions of short body and very long legs, exhibits an uncanny family resemblance to a giraffe. Perhaps it is a hold-over from Dusti’s Circus Series days, when animals often seen at the circus played a more prominent role in her visions.

This pieces presents us with three figures, two humans in the middle foreground and the giraffe off to the left and further in the background.  As in the previous works, once again the human creatures here have their unique features and distinct positioning of keyholes. They are also rather interestingly intertwined as their limbs and heads shift position in overlapping one another. The central, probably female, creature in a pale red wash seems firmly planted on the ground with widespread legs. Its keyholes are located at chest level and not in its head. Such is the fate of females! The second figure in golden yellow is a bit more amorphous with one bent limb to balance on, and its two arms with tentacle fingers gesturing. One of its arms and its leg overlap the female, but his very large head is overlapped by hers. He appears in profile as indicated by the hint of lips below the keyhole.

Then our giraffe is placed away from them in perspective, thus diminishing in size relative to the human figures. The stippled pattern that creates the giraffe’s spots bleeds over onto the ground beneath it. Meanwhile on the right side of the creatures there is a body of water-–one of Dusti’s recurring motifs–indicated by short wavy lines, and disappearing into the horizon with its dark clouds.

The piece is also signed and dated in the lower right.