Surrealism
Surrealism
Beginning in the mid-1920s, Surrealism captured the Modern imagination. In essence and definition, Surrealism began as a direct spillover from the Dada movement in art and culture. The Surrealists wanted to explore through poetry and prose the psychic dimension of the human mind. A huge source of inspiration was the groundbreaking work of Sigmund Freud.
Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur [doesn't make sense]; Leader André Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a revolutionary movement. Surrealism style uses visual imagery from the subconscious mind to create art without the intention of logical comprehensibility
Surrealism developed out of the Dada activities of World War I and the most important center of the movement was Paris. From the 1920s on, the movement spread around the globe, eventually affecting the visual arts, literature, film, and music, of many countries and languages, as well as political thought and practice, and philosophy and social theory.
Some of the greatest artists of the 20th century became involved in the Surrealist movement, and the group included Giorgio de Chirico, Man Ray, René Magritte, and many others.
The Surrealist movement eventually spread across the globe, and has influenced artistic endeavors from painting and sculpture to pop music and film directing. The greatest known Surrealist artist is Salvador Dali and equally well known female surrealist Frida Kahlo
Contemporary Surrealists
Not bound to a specific style, like their predecessors, contemporary surrealistic artists employ a wide variety of techniques to illustrate the fantastical mind of the artist. Contemporary surrealism still feature the element of surprise with random objects and unpredictable juxtapositions .
Contemporary Surrealist Artists
ACTIVITY 1
Go to this website and look at the galleries of the artists that were significant to the original surrealism. Select one [1] artwork and post a photo of the work into this padlet and write a short explanation as to why you chose it - what attracted you to the work? Include as the title the artwork and artist name [refer to my example on padlet].
Repeat this activity but selecting a contemporary surrealist artwork from the links provided above.
Surrealist Games
Chance was a crucial creative strategy for a wide number of artists associated with surrealism. It represented a release from the constraints of the rational world that had parallels with their interest in dreams. By developing new and individual ‘automatic’ processes they sought to reconcile opposing parts of human experience: the rational and the irrational, the conscious and the unconscious, reality and dream
GAME 1 - Synchronised drawing
Fold a piece of paper in half. You will draw on one half and a friend will draw on the other at the same time, mirroring your moves [watch the video to see it in action]. Swap over and mirror your friends moves. Some of you may be skilled enough to do this activity by yourself – drawing a mirror image with your left and right hand at the same time… give it a go!
check out this fun website which does mirror effect drawing. you can take a snapshot of your design if you like it and add it to your folio
GAME 2 - Dadaist Poem
Take a newspaper.
Choose an article as long as you are planning to make your poem.
Cut out the article. Then cut out each of the words that make up this article and put them in a bag. Shake it gently.
Then take out the scraps one after the other in the order in which they left the bag.
Copy conscientiously. [or glue down]
And here are you a writer, infinitely original and endowed with a sensibility that is charming though beyond the understanding of the vulgar.
GAME 3 - chance drawing
roll a dice 5 times [here is a virtual die] take note of the numbers. refer to the table and create your image to illustrate
GAME 4 - Exquisite corpse
Exquisite corpse or Cadavre exquis is a method by which a collection of words or images are collectively assembled. It is based on an old parlour game known by the same name in which players wrote in turn on a sheet of paper, folded it to conceal part of the writing, and then passed it to the next player for a further contribution.
GAME 5 - Cubomania
Cubomania is a method of making collages in which a picture or image is cut into squares and the squares are then reassembled without regard for the image.
Game 6- Decalcomania
Decalcomania is a process of spreading thick paint upon a canvas then—while it is still wet—covering it with further material such as paper or aluminium foil. This covering is then removed, and the resultant paint pattern becomes the basis of the finished painting. The technique was much employed by artists such as Max Ernst.
Collage
Collage is a technique of an art production, primarily used in the visual arts, where the artwork is made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole.
A collage may sometimes include magazine and newspaper clippings, ribbons, paint, bits of colored or handmade papers, portions of other artwork or texts, photographs and other found objects, glued to a piece of paper or canvas. The origins of collage can be traced back hundreds of years, but this technique made a dramatic reappearance in the early 20th century as an art form.
The term collage was coined by both Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in the beginning of the 20th century when collage became a distinctive part of modern art.
below are some interesting artists working with surrealist collage ..........
many more can be found here
Contemporary Collage.pdf
