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Wifredo Lam — Sur les traces (also known as Transformation)
Wifredo Lam

Sur les traces (also known as Transformation)

1945

A towering, fragmented figure emerges from a dense, jungle-like atmosphere in this enigmatic oil painting by Cuban-Chinese artist Wifredo Lam. The composition blends Afro-Cuban spiritual symbolism with Surrealist and Cubist influences, weaving together hybrid forms that suggest transformation between the human, animal, and divine. Rich, earthy tones and bold, angular lines evoke the mystical energy of Santería and the lush, untamed landscape of the Caribbean.

Medium
oil on canvas

🔨 Auction Lot

20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale

November 25, 2018

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About this work

Wifredo Lam, Sur les traces (also known as Transformation), 1945

A towering, fragmented figure emerges from a dense, jungle-like atmosphere in this enigmatic oil painting by Cuban-Chinese artist Wifredo Lam. The composition blends Afro-Cuban spiritual symbolism with Surrealist and Cubist influences, weaving together hybrid forms that suggest transformation between the human, animal, and divine. Rich, earthy tones and bold, angular lines evoke the mystical energy of Santería and the lush, untamed landscape of the Caribbean.

Medium
oil on canvas
Year
1945
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

Surrealism, Afro-Cuban Imagery, Mid-Twentieth Century, Syncretism, Figurative Abstraction, Male Artist, Mystical Mood, Cuban Artist, Modern Master, Earth Tones, Oil on Canvas

More works by Wifredo Lam

Collected by

Richard Caswell, Art Institute of Chicago