“Seemingly engaged in combat, Ubac’s nudes explore the Surrealist preoccupation with the distorted or mutilated body, an allusion made clear in the titling of the series [Le Combat de Penthesilee, Le Triumph de la sterilite, Etude de Figures]. Penthesilee was queen of the Amazons, who mutilated their bodies by cutting off their breasts. To produce the ‘photo-relief’, Ubac created several layers of cut-out nudes, which he fixed between two sheets of glass to achieve the appearance of a print. The montage was then rephotographed and solarized.”
– Alexander Klar, curator
