The artwork entitled “Table Tragique (Tragic Table) from Hôtel du Pavot, Chambre 202,” created by Dorothea Tanning in 1973, is a surrealist sculpture. As part of the Surrealism movement, this sculpture exemplifies Tanning’s exploration of dreamlike and fantastical elements, often manifesting the curious and the uncanny.
The artwork presents a captivating and somewhat disconcerting visual. Constructed of what appears to be a fabric or delicate material, the sculpture features an elongated figure draped over a table in an unnatural and contorted manner. The upper part of the figure’s body limply hangs over one end of the table, with its head and hair cascading downward, while the legs are awkwardly bent at the knees and protrude from the table’s other side. The figure’s positioning evokes a sense of despair and disorientation, characteristic of the surreal genre. The table itself is simple, yet rigid, standing in stark contrast to the fluidity of the human-like form that envelops it. This juxtaposition between the rigid and the supple, the still and the dynamic, effectively engages viewers, encouraging them to contemplate the potential meanings and emotional resonance behind the piece.
