The artwork titled “The Doll (Maquette for The Doll’s Games),” created by Hans Bellmer in 1938, belongs to the photo genre. Bellmer’s work is a maquette, which serves as a preliminary model for his series “The Doll’s Games.”
The artwork presents a provocative and surreal image of fragmented doll parts set against a backdrop of crumpled fabric. The disassembled components, primarily focusing on the exaggerated anatomical features, evoke a sense of unease. The deliberate arrangement of limbs and body parts on an intimate setting challenges traditional notions of beauty and form, merging the uncanny with the grotesque. The subdued color palette and meticulous detailing emphasize the disconcerting nature of the doll, transforming it into a compelling exploration of desire and identity.