Guest Post: Leah

Artist: Kay Sage

Style: Surrealism

Danger, Construction Ahead is one of Sage’s earlier pieces. The piece focuses largely on perspective, using line in the drawing to create movement toward the back corner of the page, establishing a focal point. The painting uses a monochromatic scheme; using these colors, Sage creates a balance between the darker foreground of the left side of the piece and the lighter background on the same side. This same technique is reversed on the other side of the page, further contributing to the balance. The painting is reflective of Sage’s emphasis on line and lone figures in a desolate background.

Le Passage was painted in 1956, less than ten years before Sage ended her own life. Once again, the painting depicts a barren landscape with a monochromatic scheme. Unlike the previous work, Le Passage includes a human form. The slumped posture and dark shadows that surround her depict an air of loneliness, a common element in Sage’s work. Perspective continues to be an important element of the piece, as the landscape becomes less defined as the lines fade into the background of the work. Both works depict a world that is removed from reality, an idea common to the surrealist movement.