Tara Kraft-Ainsworth is a PhD student studying the art and literature of interwar, European modernism. Her MA thesis explored the word-image correspondences between Leonora Carrington’s 1939 short story, “La Dame Ovale,” and 1942 painting of the same title, Green Tea (La Dame Ovale). This project traced the artist’s use of themes like migration, myth, and foreignness, to create a collective portrait of her geopolitical moment. 

Ainsworth’s dissertation research focuses on the verbal and visual intersections between the detective genre and Surrealist artists in the interwar period, considering their adoption and manipulation of ekphrasis. The project will examine select geographical points, artists, and years to explore the shifting ideas of criminality, portraiture, and the evolution of l’humour noir alongside the heroized figure of the detective.