Surrealism The False Mirror, René Magritte, 1928

Surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s. Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur– nonsense. The characteristics of this style—a combination of the depictive, the abstract, and the psychological—came to stand for the alienation which many people felt in the modern period, combined with the sense of reaching more deeply into the psyche, to be "made whole with one's individuality". The Persistence of Memory, c.1931 by Salvador Dalí

Surrealism The movement in the mid-1920s was characterized by meetings in cafes where the Surrealists played collaborative drawing games, discussed the theories of Surrealism, and developed a variety of techniques such as automatic drawing. Automatic drawing was developed by the surrealists, as a means of expressing the subconscious. In automatic drawing, the hand is allowed to move 'randomly' across the paper. In applying chance and accident to mark-making, drawing is to a large extent freed of rational control. Hence the drawing produced may be attributed in part to the subconscious and may reveal something of the psyche, which would otherwise be repressed. André Masson. Automatic Drawing. 1924

Surrealism Artists Magritte is best known for his juxtaposition of ordinary objects in unusual context and for giving familiar objects new translations. He also enjoyed painting objects, only to point out that the objects he painted were not actually the object. For example, both in his painting The Treachery of Images, a painting of a pipe; and another painting depicting an apple, Magritte indicates that the paintings are not the object he has painted. He wanted the observer of his work to realize that no matter how closely he captured the image of an apple, a pipe, or any other object, the painting could not actually BE that object. Rene Magritte (1898-1967) René Magritte's "This is not a pipe." The Treachery of Images 1928-9

Surrealism Artists De Chirico is best known for the paintings he produced between 1909 and 1919, his metaphysical period, which are memorable for the haunted, brooding moods evoked by their images. At the start of this period, his subjects were still cityscapes inspired by the bright daylight of Mediterranean cities, but gradually he turned his attention to studies of cluttered storerooms, sometimes inhabited by mannequin-like hybrid figures. Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978) The Disquieting Muses 1918

Surrealism Artists 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. Dali often clashed with André Breton and other members of the "official" Surrealist circle over the content of his paintings and political views, and was kicked out of the group in 1934. Breton coined a brilliant anagram for Dali's name: Avida Dollars (which more or less translates to "Eager for Dollars"); Dali shot back, The only difference between me and the Surrealists is that I am a Surrealist. Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Soft Watch at the Moment of First Explosion, c.1954

Surrealism L'Ange du Foyer, 1937 by Max Ernst Galatea of the Spheres, 1952 by Salvador Dalí Through Birds Through Fire But Not Through Glass, 1943 by Yves Tanguy

The Elephants, Salvador Dali, 1948 Ubu, Max Ernst, 1923 Are the painters expecting these impossible possibilities to occur, or are they telling us that the world is simply impossible to fully understand because it’s not what it seems to be?

What distortions does each painting focus on? “Distortion is often a way of leading people to see the truth,” Flannery O’Connor Les Valeurs Personnelles by Rene Magritte Delights of the Poet by de Chirico What distortions does each painting focus on? What truth do these distortions lead you, the viewer to find or think about?

Surrealism Assignment You will create a minimum of three preliminary sketches. They will be a full page in your sketchbook. No sketches will be accepted on lined paper. This will be a formative grade. You will select the sketch that is the BEST representation of the Surrealist style and paint it using watercolors. You will be graded on the following: Creativity/ Style: your painting doesn’t look like anyone else’s in the class, nor does it look like one of the examples shown in this presentation or the teacher’s sample. Your painting emulates the Surrealism style. Craftsmanship: your paint is blended neatly from one color to the next with only intentional brush marks showing. The entire paper is covered in paint. Time/Effort: you worked thoughtfully through the assignment and did not rush. You finished on time with a complex design.