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Human in the LoopJonathan Harrell’s Commonplace Book

From the Museum of Modern Art, New York:

A surreal and abstract artwork featuring a distorted human figure, seemingly merging with mechanical or organic elements. The composition has a monochromatic palette, with intricate patterns, textures, and fine details resembling biological structures, gears, or circuit-like designs. The figure appears to be in an embrace, with hands pressed against the chest, and the face partially obscured or fused with surrounding forms. The overall effect is dreamlike, evoking themes of transformation, connection, and the blending of human and non-human elements.
Get Me Another Heart This One’s Been Broken Many Times, by Valerie Maynard
A surreal painting depicting an eerie, dark landscape filled with abstract organic forms resembling microorganisms, worms, and ghostly apparitions. The foreground is dominated by a shadowy terrain with strange, amorphous creatures, while the background features a hazy horizon with a gradient of blue and gray tones. Ethereal, wispy shapes float in the scene, adding to the mysterious and otherworldly atmosphere. The artwork evokes a dreamlike or subconscious realm, blending elements of the microscopic and the cosmic.
With My Shadow, by Yves Tanguy
A monochromatic drawing of a house at dusk, rendered in a soft, hazy style. The dark silhouette of the house and an adjacent pointed-roof structure contrast against a textured sky. The shading and cross-hatching create a moody, atmospheric effect, evoking a quiet, mysterious, or melancholic scene. The composition is minimalistic, with subtle gradations of light and shadow adding depth.
House at Dusk (La Cité), by Georges-Pierre Seurat
A monochromatic drawing depicting a quiet urban scene with three silhouetted figures among geometric buildings. In the foreground, a laborer in a cap and white shirt is bent over, breaking stones with a tool. To the left, another figure walks away, carrying a sack over their shoulder, while a third figure stands in the distance. The cross-hatching technique creates a hazy, atmospheric effect, evoking a somber and meditative mood. The composition emphasizes the contrast between light and shadow, with an emphasis on the daily struggles of working-class life.
Stone Breaker, Le Raincy, by Georges-Pierre Seurat
A watercolor painting depicting a field of withered sunflowers with drooping heads, surrounded by dark, silhouetted buildings. The sunflowers have bent and twisted stems, conveying a sense of decay or the passage of time. The background features trees, a pale sky, and rustic structures with sharp, angular roofs. The earthy color palette includes yellows, browns, and muted greens, creating a melancholic and atmospheric rural scene.
Rogues’ Gallery, by Charles Burchfield