Feminist Perspectives on Materials and Making in Leonora Carrington’s Esoteric Art Practice
Approaching Religion December 2, 2025 Helen Bremm
Art history's conventional separation of material from meaning and its focus on form and image alone cannot adequately account for the work of Leonora Carrington and other women artists working at the intersection of art and esotericism. Examining two case studies from Carrington's esoteric practice—one concerning materials and one concerning making—shows that moving beyond hierarchical dualistic thinking is necessary to understand the role materials played in the meaning and magical function of her works. Her painting process functioned as an epistemological practice that drew on esoteric principles and expanded Surrealist notions of the marvellous by attending to the non-human in materials.