Surrealism in ArtThe art of surrealism is very unique. It defies the type of art that was produced for centuries. Art according to the realists was very simple. The objective was to portray the object as it is seen, exactly. There was left no room for interpretation. The objects were copied exactly as if a photograph were taken. However, surrealist art was very different and caused great controversy in the years of it's beginning. The surrealist artists portrayed objects from their own viewpoint. If they believed an object looked a certain way, they painted it in that fashion. They also developed art of situations that seem impossible and extraordinary.
|
Salvador Dali
Persistence of Memory, a popular surrealist painting made by Salvador Dali in 1931, is one in which three clocks are melted in an outdoor setting with a mountain and body of water in the background. The way in which this painting is setup is surreal and opposes reality. The audience may think "That's ridiculous, clocks cannot melt" or "Clocks are not flimsy, that could not actually happen." The reactions the audience have are the reason for paintings such as this one. The audience is forced to think outside of reality and see the painting as something different than clocks melted outdoors. |
Max Ernst
Max Ernst is another surrealist artist who raised controversy during his time. This particular work is titled Flying Geese. In this work of art, the geese are portrayed as the same size as the city itself. Realists who view this artwork would object to it's content since the scene is not a scene that could actually occur since geese are not nearly the size of a city, let alone the same size as a city! |
Max Ernst
Rene Magritte is a third artist who lived during the surrealist movement. This painting, titled Surprise Answer, is one of Magritte's many paintings. Throughout his life, Magritte completed about 1300 paintings. This particular painting is of a door which seems to have the figure of a person cut out of the middle of it. This image is odd since doors are a form of privacy and this door is disallows for this privacy. It opposes the concept that the audience would have of a door causing them to look at the painting differently and forget the sense of reality in their minds. (background: COPYRIGHT 2002 - ROBBINEGG GRAPHICS) |
