Surrealism
I have created this project to help explore the world of Surrealism and new artist. The Surrealism movement began to progress from 1913-1935. Artist like the names of Salvadore Dali, Giorgio De Chirico, Goergia O'keefe, and many more. Salvadore Dali is of the most brilliant artist of our time inspired artist around the world. The aspect that draws me to surrealism is the out of world, dreamlike scenarios that come from some of the most brilliant minds in art history.
Salavadore Dali Spanish Influence
I have Chosen Salavadore Dali to lead my presentation because he is known around the world for leading the Surrealism movement. His artworks are regarded as one of the best from the Surrealism movement. He began producing many surrealism artworks from 1927-1938 and moved at a fast pace using his wild but intellegiant imagination to create artworks we have never seen before.
The Accommodations of Desire Salvador Dalí Spanish 1929
(Content) This painting belongs in my Museum because Dali was a leader in the Surrealism movement and inspired generations to come. This paintings dramatic wasteland looks as if eat came from one of Dalis dreams. The dark contrasts of hard light at a dramatic effect that draws you into the painting. There are big boulders withs lions heads in different sillouettes. In the middle of the painting you can see people as if there are melting away . On the other boulders you can see ants swarming into a crevice, another boulder looks to have a minitature city with engravings. The focal point of the painting is in the foreground with a vast background that leads up hill to a building.
Construction molle avec des haricots bouillis (Premonition de la guerre civile) (Soft Construction with Boiled Bean [Premonition of Civil War]) Salvador Dalí Spanish 1936
(Content) i have chosen this painting to be featured in the room because it exemplifies Dali's imagination and he is praised for his dream like scenarios. In this painting you can see a man broken in half as if he is withering away. His head is in his hand with a look on his face as if he was about to scream. The soft blues and greens on the left side contrast the right side of the painting with reds and dark contrasting colors. The body of the figure looks to be pulling itself back together but a tongue is holding down against the desert floor. The hands of the figure are very large scale and look to be of a monster.
Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) Salvador Dalí Spanish 1954
(content) I have chosen this painting from Dali because It has many symbolisms in its imagery and can be interpreted many different ways. As you look at this piece you can see Jesus Christ layed on the cross with a person look up to him as if he is talking to him. The foreground were Jesus is layed brightly lit with the background very dark which may symbol darkness (hell). This painting points to Dali's religous values and how he was able to interpret Jesus Christ into his surrealism paintings. The cross that Jesus Christ is layed upon is hovering above with a tile floor with leading lines pointing to the background.
Study for "Vogue" cover Salvador Dalí Spanish 1944
(Form) I have chosen this painting by Dali because it shows his versatility when he is able to create. This piece that was create for vogue is in black and white with long leading lines that ascend to the background. It gives your eyes a sense of direction when viewing the piece. The word Vogue is the headline of the piece and is created out of plants and vegetables. The foreground consist of a medium scale rock with people on horses prancing around with swords. Like many of Dali's works, Dali has used long shadows to create a feeling as if the sun is about to go down which adds a dramatic effect to his works.
Giorgio de Chirico :
Giorgio de Chirico was a prominent Surrealist painter who inspired many and can be said to be a leader of the movement. He deserves to have a room in my museum because he has created hundreds of surrealism paintings and that time not many artist had began to explore surrealism. His use of long shadows, buildings, and sculptures created a unique style that set himself apart from others.
Giorgio de Chirico, The Uncertainty of the Poet, 1913, 106 x 94 cm (Tate Gallery, London)
(Content) I have chosen this painting by Yves because it was one of his earliest surrealism works. This piece makes you feel as if you were all alone and very small. In many of Yves's paintings you will find long shadows and stone sculptures. In this piece you see a medium scale sculpture with no hands or head with bananas by its side. There is a large building the right blocking a hard light coming from the sun. There looks to be a harbor in the background with a brick wall covering it, you will notice smoke a sail boat masts billowing over it. The sculptures in these paintings give me a feeling of being all alone and to be alert, everyone is going to have there own perception because it can be interpreted in many different ways.
Giorgio de Chirico, The Soothsayer’s Recompense, 1913, oil on canvas, 135.6 × 180 cm (Philadelphia Museum of Art)
(Form) This artwork by Girogio de Chirico is early in the surrealism movement. There is a sculpture in the foreground that looks as if it is cracking its neck. The sculpture is out of white stone in the middle of a courtyard. There is a long drastic shadow that leads from the top right to the bottom left corner. The floor where the sculpture is a light orange, the building is a shade of green with long circular shaped pillar openings. There is a brick wall in the background with a train behind it. The lines tend to interecect each other towards the center of the piece leading to the importance of the statue.
Giorgio de Chirico, The Enigma of a Day, 1914, oil on canvas, 185.5 x 139.7 cm (MoMA)
(Context) I have chosen this piece by Chirico because I admire the way Chirico incorparated space, color, and symbolisms. I feel that Chirico had used the statue to symbolize a sense of power from a government like figure we are all subjected to. When you see the building with a Large scale sculpture in front you tend to feel of its importance. The building seems to act as a governance of the land with its larger than life red pillars that tower over the landscape. The people are very small in scale in reference to the structures symbolizing there unimportance to their power.
Le rêve de Tobie (The Dream of Tobias) Giorgio de Chirico Italian, born Greece 1917
(Form) I have chosen this piece by Chirico because it was one of his later pieces that he created. This piece looks as if the buildings are springing out of each other with lines that move horizontally and vertically. The scale of the column in the middle is much larger than buildings and pillars intersecting. There are dark black bold letters that says AIDLE . The building formations have no rythym and are done spiratically. Chirico used the buildings to create a sense of chaos with the bright reds, greens, and yellows. There are are multiple different shapes created by all the lines intersecting and create multiple different patterns in the top third of the painting.
Dreamlike Landscapes
subtopic
Night in Pisa (La nuit de Pise) René Magritte Belgian 1958
(Content) I have chosen this Artwork By Magritte Belgian because it resembles Dali's desert scapes and uses geometric patterns. The vantage point of the viewer is looking over a desert landscape at night. There is a leaning tower (Leaning Tower of Piza) that has a large scale feather holding it up. There are block patterns in the sky that have a light source creating a harsh shadows that cast on the blocks. The desert is completely empty and looks as if it is someones dream focusing on one particular moment or idea.
Tomorrow is Never Kay Sage American 1955
(Form) I have chosen this piece by Kay Sage because I feel that it is aesticcally very interesting and evokes a feeling. In this piece by kay sage there are long pillars shooting out of the sky that look to be old buildings. In the center of these pillars there are long drapes that sway in the wind. The clouds are light browns and very light green hues that look very calm as if there is no wind. There are five pillars and look to be out of order, each one is slightly further than the next. I feel that the pillars help create movement to draw your from the foreground to the background.
From Green to White Yves Tanguy American, born France 1954
(content) I have chosen Yves Tanguy because he was very notable artist and was apart of the surrealism community of artists. This piece by Yves represents a dream scape and if it was a different planet. The big are elongated to create a dramatic feeling as if they were being pulled. The craters look as if there is a civilization in them and that they are distorted. The moonscape civilization is at the foreground of the painting and the night sky is above with clouds that resemble being in a alternate universe.
La balada para Frida Kahlo (The Ballad for Frida Kahlo) Alice Rahon French 1955–1956
(Content) I have chosen this piece by Frida Kahlo beacuse it is a brilliant pice that is very lovely and evokes a excitement when viewiing. It looks to be as if it was a large part on a Island of sort floating in the night sky. The white strokes represent the people partying, the red and yellow colors represent the night lights. There is a ferris wheel on the bottom third of the painting with red and yellow lights glistening. The artist was very effective in creating a other worldly like world while using high level paint stroke techniques.
Surrealism Around the World
I have chosen these artist to be in my museum because I feel that it is important to see what other incredible artist were doing around the globe. The late 1920's to late 1930's had many well known artist being recognized for their surrealism works. The surrealism movement was happening globally and was progressing rapidly with artist looking to follow in Dali/ Chirico's footsteps.
Umi (The Sea) Koga Harue Japanese 1929
(context) This painting by Koga Harue belongs in my museum because it represents a different area at the same time Dali was creating. in this painting I feel there are key symbolisms that represents events that were happening during this time period. During the late 1920's the war was happening over see's and Americans were stationed along japan naval bases. In the painting you can see a submarine with a big blimp plane flying over the sea. There is a woman that looks as if she is calling out to see as it would be common at this time period. I feel that each object is a symbolism of that time period and the war that was happening. The objects feel as if there are swirling in on one another leading to the thought that its like being stuck in a world you can escape from.
South of Scranton Peter Blume American, born Russia 1931
(Form) I have chosen this piece by Russian painter Peter Blume because the visual shapes and illusions of this painting caught my eye. This painting using leading lines into shapes that lead into one another. The long tower on the right side of the piece is warped and has a male figure in pattern turning his hands each time 25 degrees. The buildings seem as of they are in the air bouncing as if it were on a blanket being shaken. The sequence of buildings is in a pattern with houses popping up out of each other.
From the Faraway, Nearby Georgia O'Keeffe American 1937
(Form) This piece by O'keefe is very interesting as it shows a large scale elk head that has eroded. The large scale head figure rests over a desert sunset where the hues are very light and subtle. O'keefe had use the horns of the Elk to help draw your eyes through out the painting creating movement. The soft blues, purples, and pinks are blended very softly in contrast the hard lines of the elk head. The mountains and desert floor is cast with a reddish tone that fades to blue/ purple hue.
My direct purpose of this assignment was to show you the world of Surrealism and open your eyes to a beautiful genre of artwork. I feel that surrealism is one of the more incredible imaginative, dreamlike artwork that cannot be replicated nor duplicated. Artists like Georgio De Cherico and Salvadore Dali paved the way for many artists through 1914-1938. These two artist had a direct impact on Artists following their foots steps to create worlds that are only seen by the imagination. I have a connection to each one of these artworks in a different way and wish that it was able to serve as a guide through the world of Surrealism.