The Mask of Anarchy - Eileen Agar at Whitechapel Gallery

Has our digital age and social media caused us to zoom out and become less observant of the creativity around us? 

Iona Lowe reviews Eileen Agar - The Mask of Anarchy exhibition at Whitechapel Gallery open until 29th August 2021

Erotic Landscape, 1942. Photograph: © Estate of Eileen Agar/Bridgeman Images Photograph courtesy Pallant House Gallery, Chichester © Doug Atfield

Words by Iona Lowe

A dismal Tuesday dawned as the rain from the day before settled and the grey cloud descended. Another muggy day in London began. However, the weather was at no peril to quieten my excitement as the forthcoming day began to break. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the removal of the physical art world has been a loss I have felt with muscular strength.

As we spent our days isolating, reading, walking and – well – relaxing, I was very content, to begin with. Then, I realised the threat of the pixelated screen, not only on one’s eyes but on the quality of feeling obtained from art and the effect on the creative mind. Hence, the weather could not squander my feeling at finally being able to (not quite stroll spontaneously) but walk into a room filled with inspiration.

Sketch of a female figure surrounded by an anchor and boats © The estate of Eileen Agar

Before this exhibition, Eileen Agar was not an artist I was able to find any familiarity with. Having never witnessed her work before, I was intrigued to learn about the Argentinian surrealist. 

The exhibition began with figurative drawings not unrelated to the modern Instagram line drawing trend and not too dissimilar to the cubism of Picasso’s figures. 

As the exhibition continued, her work became the surrealist collages she is renowned for today, heavily focused on the idea of the sea and marine life. Inspired by her early interest in Edmund Dulac and his portrayals of the shore. I found her work a mix between definition and flux. A dynamic quality created by the layers of different materials used to build her own word of surrealism. 

Fish Circus, 1939, Eileeen Agar

The hybridity of her collages allows one to become lost in the complexity, and in many ways, reminded me of modern-day life and our ever-changing health and political system. As we move forward and as social media becomes more present in our lives. Society becomes more dynamic as individual views begin to surface, and collectivism becomes more elite and split into so many different groups. Her collages included so many different elements, as did her paintings, that I found it hard not to find familiarity with her work and the modern-day. 

Agar’s work speaks to all the talented artists who became her friends and her support bubble, studying under the greats such as Leon Underwood and Lucy Kemp-Welch and basking in the society of Picasso and Cecil Beaton. It is no wonder her work is so complex and can speak so many different artistic languages. Touching the minds of a diverse range of artists and people.

Agar wearing her Ceremonial Hat for Eating Bouillabaisse, 1936. Photograph: © Estate of Eileen Agar/Bridgeman Images

Through the exhibition, one really sees the growth of her art. How she may have been influenced by others but in the end, she is able to develop her own style, including elements from different parts of her life. Still, ending as the strong individual, we know her as today. 

As I wandered through the delights of the exhibition and enjoyed the snippets of the 20th century, I was left wondering. Do we have such a close-knit circle of creatives in society today? Or has zoom caused us to zoom out and become distant from everyone, even those who are able to inspire us to create some of the most beautiful art? 

The Mask of Anarchy - Eileen Agar at Whitechapel Gallery is open until 29 August 2021

More info: Whitechapel Gallery