Portrait of Grandmother Doña Josefa Zejalvo - Remedios Varo
Archival giclée
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Description
An early 1926 portrait by Remedios Varo, capturing her grandmother with academic precision and a warm, focused light.
This early portrait by Remedios Varo, painted in 1926, offers a glimpse into the formative years of an artist later known for her complex, surrealist narratives. At the time of this work, Varo was eighteen years old and studying at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. The painting depicts her grandmother, Doña Josefa Zejalvo, with a focus on the physical markers of age and the gravity of the sitter's expression.
The composition is traditional, placing the subject against a dark, indistinct background that directs the viewer's attention to the face. Varo employs a warm, amber-toned palette for the skin, which contrasts with the deep, shadowed tones of the clothing and the surrounding space. The brushwork is deliberate, capturing the texture of the skin and the structure of the facial features with a precision that suggests an academic training. Unlike the later, dreamlike works that define her career, this piece demonstrates a grounded approach to representation and a keen interest in human character.
Doña Josefa is presented with a sense of quiet dignity. The lighting is focused, creating a dramatic effect that highlights the contours of the face and the depth of the eyes. This portrait provides a clear record of Varo's technical capabilities during her youth, showing her ability to handle light and shadow to create a sense of presence. It remains a significant example of her early development, reflecting the influence of classical portraiture before her eventual move toward the imaginative and symbolic imagery for which she is widely recognised today.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Portrait of Grandmother Doña Josefa Zejalvo - Remedios Varo
Artist Biography
Remedios Varo
She graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in 1930, one of the few women in her class. In Barcelona she fell in with the Surrealists and, through them, with the poet Benjamin Peret, who became her partner. When Paris fell, she was jailed on suspicion of espionage. After her release she and Peret boarded one of the last ships allowed to leave France, arriving in Mexico in 1941.
In Mexico City she became inseparable from the English Surrealist Leonora Carrington. Together with the photographer Kati Horna, the three were called the Three Witches. They attended meetings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky followers, studied alchemy and Jungian dream theory, and put ink in tapioca pearls to serve as caviar at dinner parties for Octavio Paz.
She did not paint prolifically until the last thirteen years of her life, once she was financially stable and free of wartime displacement. The paintings from this period are meticulous: tiny figures in architectural spaces that obey their own physics, conducting experiments with starlight or weaving the fabric of the universe from threads pulled out of the air.
Her posthumous retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City in 1971 drew more visitors than shows by Diego Rivera or David Alfaro Siqueiros. She had died of a heart attack in 1963, at fifty-four, at the peak of her working life.
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