sur - re - al - ism ( n .)

Sur - re - al - ism (n.)

A style of art developed mostly in the 20th century, stressing the subconscious or

non-rational imagery from chance effects & unexpected combinations in everyday life.

Surrealism is an invented word

"sur" means beyond or farther than. . . so "surreal" means to go beyond real.

Surrealism was first introduced to the world in 1924 in Europe.

The War had just come to an end and Europe’s economy was in great depression.

In the 1920’s Europe had just been introduced to radios, automobiles, and movies and society was becoming more urban.

It was Art that reflected the artists’ feelings and thoughts about this time period.

How did Surrealism begin?

Surrealist Idea’sSurrealist Idea’s

Surrealists had a strong belief in the importance of the subconscious, and believed man could improve the human condition.

Sandy Skoglund, “Revenge of the Goldfish”

Rene Magritte (1898-1967)Rene Magritte (1898-1967)

Magritte enjoyed making people think when they looked at his work. Quite often the images of apples, bowler hats and men in suits seem to make no sense upon first glance... or do they?

Magritte combines ordinary objects to create surprising and often magical scenes.

While elements in Magritte's compositions are always recognizable, they are simple, with only minimal shading. This slight flatness makes them appear unreal.

“Son of Man”

“Golconda”

“Time Transfixed”

“The Surprise Answer”

"My paintings are visible images which conceal nothing; they evoke mystery and, indeed, when one sees one of my

pictures, one asks oneself this simple question, "What does that mean"? It does not mean anything,

because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable."

“Personal Values”

Photography has to transcend description...

it can never pretend to give you answers. That would be

insulting."

Jerry Uelsmann (1934 - )Jerry Uelsmann (1934 - )

Photographer BFA from RIT

“If you go into the darkroom with the agenda

that you want a specific thing to happen, then anything that happens

different from that becomes a mistake.”

“Self-Portrait”

Yves Tanguy (1900-1955)Yves Tanguy (1900-1955)

Tanguy used modeling and perspective to create the illusion of depth and a distant horizon.

He filled landscapes with simple forms that appear to stand in for plants or animals

“Reply to Red”

“Through Birds, Through Fire and

Not Through Glass”

Sandy Skoglund (1946 - )Sandy Skoglund (1946 - )

Pushing 3-D forms into 2-D photographs, Skoglund transforms the content of her sculpted scenes into dream-like images that pique the curiosity of the viewer.

Skoglund uses all media, enchancing life into deadly still lifes with models and unique subject matter.

“Atomic Love”, 1992 - Raisins embedded in epoxy, furniture, mannequins and live models

“Hangers”, 1980

“A Breeze At Work”, 1987, plastalene leaves made from bronze molds, furniture, live models

“Maybe Babies”, 1983, plaster babies made from plastalene molds, live model

"The more I do this kind of work, the more it feels like making a film. A film in one frame."

“Revenge of the Goldfish”, 1981 - ceramic fish, furniture, live models

“Radioactive Cats”, 1980 - chicken wire and plaster cats, furniture, live models

“Fox Games”, 1989 - plastalene foxes painted with flashe paints, furniture, live models

“The Cocktail Party”, 1982 – Cheeze Doodles embedded in epoxy resin, furniture, mannequins & live models

“Breathing Glass”

“Breathing Glass” (close up), 1980

Joan Miro (1893-1983)Joan Miro (1893-1983)

Miró employs abstract organic forms as flat patterns. His distinctive style combines brightly-colored shapes resembling

paper cutouts with letters, stick figures, and obscure signs.

“Small Venus of Meudon”

“The Kerosene Lamp”

Salvador Dali (1904-1989)Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

A flamboyant painter and sometime writer, sculptor and experimental film-maker, Salvador Dali was probably the greatest Surrealist artist, using bizarre dream imagery to create unforgettable and unmistakable landscapes of his inner world.

Salvador Dali, “Persistence of Memory”

"Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.''

Salvador Dali, “Threes”

“Sleep”

“Warning”

“The only difference between a crazy person and I, is that I am not crazy."