The artwork titled “Creation of the Birds” is a symbolic painting by Surrealist artist Remedios Varo, created circa 1957. It is crafted using oil on masonite, a testament to the artist’s proficiency in blending traditional methods with her distinctive vision. This piece is currently held at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City, Mexico, adding to the illustrious collection that reflects the artist’s vital contributions to the movement and genre.
The artwork presents a scene that is rich in allegory and mystical elements, characteristic of Varo’s oeuvre. At the center, an owl-like figure cloaked in a feathery raiment sits at a wooden desk, participating in the ethereal act of creating birds. The figure holds a piece of equipment resembling a violin bow and uses it to paint or perhaps animate the birds onto a clear pane, which allows the creatures to take flight into their existence. The presence of a palette and the engagement in a careful, deliberate creation process suggests a metaphor for artistic creation itself, with the figure acting as an intermediary between the imagination and reality.
Around this central act, various objects and forms contribute to the dreamlike atmosphere: a strange lamp-like structure that appears to be balancing celestial bodies, a bird observing from the floor, and additional avians taking flight through arched windows that bathe the scene in a soft, enigmatic light. The precise rendering of each element within the geometric space further emphasizes the thoughtful, almost scientific approach to what seems to be an otherworldly moment of genesis.
