Artwork
Woman Dreaming
Woman Dreaming is a watercolor work on paper by the Surrealist artist Sam Haile. It dates from 1940 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
It shows a sleeping woman with a dream-world where crocodiles fly and birds use parachutes.
In 1940, British painter Sam Haile made a watercolor called *Woman Dreaming*.
It shows a sleeping woman with a dream-world where crocodiles fly and birds use parachutes.
Haile used automatic drawing, letting his pen move without planning.
The date on the painting—July 1940—hints at quick, unconscious marks.
He was living in New York at the time, far from war-torn Europe.
Look up the British Surrealist group next.
Overview
Woman Dreaming is a watercolour painting created by Sam Haile in 1940. It depicts a reclining female figure surrounded by a dream landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The dream landscape features fantastical elements, including flying crocodiles and birds descending with parachutes, reflecting the Surrealist interest in the subconscious and the world of dreams. The imagery may also allude to fears associated with aerial warfare during this period.
Technique & Style
The painting was executed using the Surrealist technique of automatic drawing, where the artist allows their pen to move freely without conscious planning, as indicated by the date and the spontaneous, unmediated quality of the work.
History & Provenance
Sam Haile, a British artist associated with the British Surrealist group, created Woman Dreaming while living in New York in 1940, having recently relocated from France.
Context
The work reflects Haile's anti-war and anti-imperialist politics, as well as the broader Surrealist concern with the power of dreams and the unconscious mind.
Artist & collection
Artist
Sam Haile painted dreamy watercolors of people in the 1940s. Try Woman Dreaming, a soft, flowing scene where a figure seems wrapped in gentle thoughts. It sits somewhere between modern British and mid-century…
