Surrealism

Surrealism is a style of art as well as a change in culture that began in the late 1910s and early 1920s. Dadaism developed out of WWI, with a focus on nonsense, irrationality, and silliness. Surrealism was born from this movement, with a similar focus on imagination, subconscious, and the unexpected. This art movement features unconventional techniques and subject matter, for example, many surrealists drew inspiration from the art of children and ancient, primitive cultures. Like dadaism, they began to ignore conventional artistry, foregoing realism in favor of whimsicality and dreamlike subject matter.

Rene Magritte, a Belgian surrealist, focused on challenging the conventional perceptions of reality. His paintings are both humorous and thought-provoking, combining words with art, and meshing images together into one. He places landscapes inside of objects, and objects in places where they don’t belong. His paintings are not of things he sees, but of things he imagines or dreams. Combining this irrationality with a semi-realistic painting style and otherwise-normal subject matter, his paintings are slightly confusing and very provocative.

Jerry Uelsmann is a fellow surrealist, but rather than using paints and pencils as a medium, he uses photography. Like Magritte, Uelsmann combines images together in a manner which questions reality and causes the viewer to think. His photographs are less humorous than the paintings by Magritte, but evoke the same tone as Magritte’s dreamlike works. Uelsmann’s photos blend together and combine, less to be irrational, and more to show the connection between two otherwise unrelated objects.

The Treachery of Images - 1928-9

This is my chosen painting by Magritte. It's funny and somewhat paradoxal, with a biting title and an interesting use of words within the painting. Of course this is a pipe: that is a very realistic painting and it is clear what its subject matter is. But, as you think about it, you realize that it isn't a pipe: it's a painting of one. Does the sentence then refer to the painting or its own subject? Regardless of the contradictions, this painting is cute and funny, and one of my favorites by Magritte.

Journey Into Night - 2006

This photograph by Uelsmann is beautiful to me. I love how the hands become the tree so perfectly and how they relate to each other. Hands can hold a nest, but a nest belongs in a tree. It then makes sense that the hands become a tree, able to hold the nest and still have it be as it should. The black background is a good touch, and it makes the hands stand out more. I love the composition of this photograph, with everything front and center with a few more details scattered around to be discovered, like the bird.