Surrealism - Ms. Gregory€¦ · -Surrealism implies going beyond realism, which deliberately...
Transcript of Surrealism - Ms. Gregory€¦ · -Surrealism implies going beyond realism, which deliberately...
Surrealism
Introduction To Surrealism
-Surrealism began in Paris in 1924 as a literary movement, with the First Surrealist Manifesto written
by Andre Breton, and continuing to flourish throughout the thirties.
-Grew out of the Freudian Free-Association and dream analysis.
-A direct offspring of Dada
-Surrealism implies going beyond realism, which deliberately courted the bizarre and the irrational to
express buried truths unreachable by logic.
- Surrealism was taken by two forms
-As improvised art which distanced the artist from conscious control.
-Using realistic techniques to present hallucinatory scenes that defy common sense.
Key Surrealism Artists
● Andre Breton - French Writer; wrote The Surrealist Manifesto.
● Hans Arp - Sculptor, Painter, and Collagist; a leader in Dadaism and known for his biomorphic work he became a transitional figure linking the two movements and helping shape Surrealism.
● Max Ernst - Painter and Sculptor; one of the first artist to apply Freud’s dream theories as a source of creativity and “creating non-representational works without a clear narrative”
● Joan Miró - Painter and Printmaker; balanced and encouraged by the Surrealists to dismantle traditional precepts of representation.
● Salvador Dali - Painter, Sculptor, Filmmaker, Printmaker, and Performance Artist; the most versatile and most famous Surrealist artist.
Joan Miró
-He was born in Barcelona in 1893 and received an early introduction to the
arts, taking up art classes from the age of 7.
-Joan Miró is said to be the most surrealist of all the other artists in this
movement.
-Constantly tries to banish reason and loose the unconscious.
-His works were a mixture of fact and fantasy.
-His main goal was, “to express with precision all the golden sparks the soul
gives off”.
-Often incorporated his dreams into his works, and mostly used primary
colors throughout his work.
Joan Miró
Man With A Pipe
1925
57 1/2 × 44 9/10 in
Joan Miró
Blue Star
1927
51 1/5 × 38 2/5 in
Joan Miró
Petit Universe
1933
15 ⅗ x 12 ⅖ in
Joan Miró
Which piece did you like the best? Why?
How do these pieces fit with the movement?
Which piece did you like the best? Why?
How do these pieces fit with the movement?
How it fits
-Miró often worked with a limited palette, yet the colors he used were bold
and expressive.
-Often working with primary colors (Red, Blue, Yellow)
-The animals and objects in the works are often playful, yet seeming to be
from another planet.
-Used unique biomorphic signs for natural objects. Ex. The sun and the
moon.
Salvador Dali
● To bring forth images from his subconscious mind, Dali would induce
hallucinatory states by a process he called the paranoia critical.
“I don’t do drugs, I am drugs.”
● Dali used themes of eroticism, death and decay, animal imagery, and
religious symbols.
● His most famous art piece is Persistence of Memory (image of melting clocks)
● Born May 11, 1904 in Figueras, Catalonia, Spain.
● Dali used Freudian theory to attempt a visual
representation of his dreams and hallucinations.
Salvador Dali Painting
Persistence of Memory
1931
Meant to display the passing
of time by showing several
clocks melting over a dead
animal while in a random and
rather hazy place.
Salvador Dali Painting
The Burning Giraffe
1937
Reflecting the
compartmentalization of one’s
emotional and mental state.
Salvador Dali PaintingSwans Reflecting Elephants (1937)
The double images were a major
part of Dali's "paranoia-critical
period." Dali used this method to
illustrate the hallucinatory forms,
double images and visual illusions
that filled his dreams and
subconscious.
This uses the reflection in a lake to
create the double image seen in
the painting. The background is of
the Catalonian Spain landscape
where Dali grew up.
As well as a self portrait of Dali on
the left.
Salvador Dali Art
Which of these paintings is your favorite?
Why is that?
What do you think about the art of Dali?
Sources
“Gardner's Art through the Ages.” Gardner's Art through the Ages, by Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J.
Mamiya, Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2005, pp. 996–1002.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/art-between-wars/modal/v/salvador-dal-the-
persistence-of-memory-1931
"Surrealism Movement Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2018. TheArtStory.org Content compiled and
written by The Art Story Contributors Edited and published by The Art Story Contributors Available
from: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm [Accessed 27 Apr 2018]