A surrealist composition by British artist Conroy Maddox, featuring a stacked-hat figure, a black horse, and collage elements.

Winter Criminal Term (1949) is a characteristic example of the work of Conroy Maddox, a central figure in the British Surrealist movement. Maddox, who remained committed to the principles of the movement long after its initial peak in Europe, utilised this composition to explore the irrational and the uncanny. The work features a stack of hats perched upon a disembodied face, a motif that evokes the bowler-hatted figures often associated with the Surrealist aesthetic, particularly the work of René Magritte. The composition is deliberately disjointed. A stark, black horse stands in the centre, appearing as a solid, silhouette-like presence against a pale, washed background. The inclusion of collage elements, such as the anatomical fragment and the small portrait, disrupts the spatial logic of the canvas. These disparate objects are placed without a clear narrative link, forcing the viewer to confront the absurdity of their juxtaposition. The muted colour palette, punctuated by the yellow of the hats and the deep black of the horse, contributes to the unsettling atmosphere of the piece. Maddox often employed such techniques to bypass rational thought, aiming to tap into the subconscious. By combining traditional oil painting with collage, he creates a visual tension between the hand-painted elements and the found imagery. This work reflects his interest in the psychological potential of objects and the way in which their meaning shifts when removed from their expected context. The title itself adds another layer of ambiguity, suggesting a temporal or legal framework that remains entirely opaque to the observer. This print captures the texture and the specific, dream-like quality of the original composition, offering a glimpse into the mid-century British Surrealist experience.