Leonora Carrington: Surrealism in Life and Art

Immerse yourself in Surrealism with this TV UNAM documentary film about the life and works of talented painter and writer Leonora Carrington.

"Invocación surrealista: Leonora Carrington" (Surrealist Summoning: Leonora Carrington) is a special TV UNAM programme on the life and works of this famous painter. The documentary includes an interview with Leonora herself and other special guests and experts, enhanced by surrealist-like music and editing that will make you feel as if you are inside her paintings.

Leonora Carrington was a gifted English surrealist painter and writer. She left a vast legacy not only in Europe, but also in America, as she lived most of her life in Mexico after fleeing from the Nazis who banned works of art and persecuted artists considered "degenerate" during their rise to power in the 1930s. Some of her most famous works are "And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur" (1953), "The Giantess (The Guardian of the Egg)" (1946), "Labyrinth" (1991), and "The Magical World of the Mayans" (1964), among others.

On the documentary, Leonora herself and the special guests talk about her free unconscious which led her to having boundless imagination and creativity—just what Surrealism was looking for. They also talk about her role as a female artist and a feminist during the twentieth century. In her works, she highlights the images of women as some mystical and powerful godess-like beings, without whom life would not be possible at all.

Enjoy this surreal documentary presented by TV UNAM and learn more about the life and inspiration behind Leonora Carrington's works.

Text by Andrea Flores Sánchez

Original title Invocación Surrealista. Leonora Carrington
English title Leonora Carrington. Surreal Invocation
Genre Documentary
Production year 2008
Duration 52'24''
Production Company TV UNAM
Producer Sandra Luz Aguilar / Erika Gallegos Tinoco / Ma. Teresa Hernández
TV Director Iván Trujillo Bolio
Soloist Horacio Franco