He must have been a great influence because a year later Varo left her husband to fight in the Spanish Civil War though she would always remain friendly with Gerado. In 1937, Remedios met political activist Esteben Frances. The couple moved to Paris to enable them to be closer to the art scene, but they returned to Spain just a year later. They were married in 1930 when she was 22. It was while attending art school she met her first husband, Gerado Lizarraga. In 1924 the family moved to Madrid, Spain and at 15 Varo attended Escuela de Bellas Artes. Despite later rejecting religion, it is clear that it still influenced her artwork though in a seemingly more metaphysical way. He also supplemented the basic convent education with literature and science. She received a basic education at convent schools, though her father, recognising her artistic talent, would often let her help with the technical drawings used in his work. Her life reads like an adventure story full of danger and excitement with a dash of love and intrigue thrown in for good measure and Varo does indeed a heroine make.īorn Maria de la Remedios Alcia Rodriga Varo y Uranga in Catalonia, Spain on December 16th 1908, she spent much of her young childhood moving mostly across Spain and North Africa due to her father’s career as a hydraulic engineer. Whilst today her name is becoming more widely recognised, it is a crying shame that for so long, this fabulous artist and brave woman has remained in the shadows.

In the case of Varo, it also speaks a tumble of emotion and feeling. When a picture speaks to your very soul, it’s hard to put your finger on why, and besides, the old adage is true, a picture speaks a thousand words. I don’t know why I like this painting so much, and if you enjoy art, you’ll know what I mean. Within the chamber, the star maker is hard at work crafting a crescent moon. It depicts the uppermost chamber of a tower, surrounded by the night sky like a sea of darkness with only the diffused light from the stars. My favourite piece, if I had to choose just one, is called Star Maker.

Using contrasts in colour and texture, Varo captures the essence of the ‘other’. The art of Remedios Varo does indeed show the dream world and the real world are the same, combining technical drawing and surrealism in a way that brings the dreamworld into the realm of the everyday, hinting at the magical nature of the world.

‘The dream world and the real world are the same.’

Remedios varo unexpected journeys