Armed With Madness: The Surreal Leonora Carrington by Mary M. Talbot and illustrated by Bryan Talbot
I didn’t have time to be anyone’s muse… I was too busy rebelling against my family and learning to be an artist.
— Leonora Carrington
How reliable is the narrator? How honest is Carrington’s story? Was her madness her greatness or greatness her madness? The complex life of this artist unfolds in a mix of beauty, ugly and something in-between. A product of her time, a rebel of it all, and again, something in-between. This graphic novel sets a tone and never lets you rest. Even in calm moments we assume something is around the corner, something else is going to assault our senses, some extreme alteration to reality or even an alteration of the hysteria. There is the potential for an even greater madness.
There is some nudity (statutes, other art) but also sexual. And of course, that is mostly female with perky round, nipple piercing, breast exposure. There is even a form of bestiality present, as Carrington sees people as animals (sometimes almost complete, but usually part human and part animal). And they can (and will) morph into that animal in moments of passion, anger, or on her whims. She is a horse (usually when she needs to escape or sexually) or a hyena (usually in moments of extreme anger and/or fear) and her long term lover is a (in my opinion) hideous bird-man. 
The illustrations reflect the emotions mostly. However, they set the emotions as well. They are both their own character and a large supporter of Carrington’s world. The color brown-red is popular, the rest of the colors muted to allow the story to be the focus. Maybe our emotions are being a bit manipulated, to keep you on edge, but I was assuming the author wants us to be on edge, unsure. 
To say the least, this is not an easy read and very much not for the sensitive reader. I read it in one night, but I don’t think I got everything. There are scenes of her being institutionalized, the Nazis (with them or anything like them being shown as enraged pigs), the distortions of anything/one the author wants you to know Carrinton hates, an aftermath of a rape, and even when things are not shown, there is no question what is happening. And while it would work for stronger/older teens, I do not recommend it for a high school library. There is a maturity that borders on obscene and sheer opulence, with extreme hedonism, selfishness, and greed. That is not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, but I came away disturbed. It is a dark and interesting read.
