How has Surrealism affected modern day photographers and mixed media artists? For this Essay, I will look at how Surrealism has affected modern day media. They have affected the photographers and mixed media artist outcome, as they design is Surreal. The movement of Surrealism started in the early 1920, this movement was strong and the artist who supported it, made work which was impressive and out of the world. Surrealism is the art style of contradictions, mainly putting dreams and reality together. It plays on Juxtapositions;the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.The movement was big and spread across the world. The movement affected multimedia work and ought new ways of presenting a story to people. Media such as Literature, Visual Arts, Music and Films started to become influenced by the movement. I am going to investigate how surrealism is still relevant in today work and how artist have involved it in certain media. The artists I’m looking at is Nicholas Max. Nicholas Max work relates to my project because his style is narrative. A Narrative is a Story being told, Nicholas Max designs has a story to it, whether it’s question we ask or what factors are given to us. In addition there are aspects of Surrealism, he will be compared with artist who was involved or inspired by the Surrealist movement. Nicholas Max has influenced my project on narrative, as his work raise questions in my mind. The questions raised make me think there’s a story behind his work, because of the composition. The layout of the work and the positioning of figures and items are unusual – making it surreal, but feel there’s a story to it, because it was planned to be laid out like that. Nicholas Max will be compared with Surrealist artist and some of their work, containing optical illusions. For my narrative project, I want questions to be raised when my artwork is seen. I want my designs to be able to let the viewer know there’s a story behind the work, rather than them trying hard to find it. For this to happen I will need to input figures, textures and shapes to make the design piece different. In addition I will work on the Surreal factor; being able to tell a story while making the scene weird – as its real and fake at the same time. My narrative links to the question, because the style of Surrealism will affect my design. This shows the Surrealist movement has affected modern day media arts, as its style will influence the way my story is told. My narrative will prove the massive impact Surrealism has upon media; as designers start to experiment and create pieces that are unreal and shows juxtaposition. There needs to be questions I will ask, when I observe my work and the artists. This method will be important; helping my story to be displayed better. There are two questions which I think will help me analyze the narrative behind a Surreal artwork. They are: Why were these elements put together to display the piece? Does the art work go against common topics to display a unique message? These questions will help me explore the artwork the artist created better. Isaac Addo
Salvador Dali work is relevant, because his work focuses on Surrealism. He merges reality and dreams in an interest way, which makes the painting look like a dream occurring in your mind. Salvador Dali was involved the 1920’s Surrealism era; his work was a huge inspiration to the movement. He fuses the different effects of cubism, modern art and Surrealism.
The image above is called ‘The Elephant’ was created in 1948, by Salvador Dali. The paint was oil on canvas. The artwork was created later on in Salvador Dali life, in addition it was introduced in the time Surrealism was at its peak. ‘The Elephant’ is a typical work of Salvador Dali, the way he combines a real animal but adds a feature, which can never happen to it. The painting associates with the movement as it brings reality and dreams together, the elephants have different features, than a real elephant. For insistence looking at the legs, it was described as “multi-jointed, almost invisible legs of desire.” Elephant legs are not multi-jointed or even near being thin to be considered invisible. On the other hand, the action of the elephant is a reality, because in Africa the boxes on the back of elephant are used so tourist can travel across the country. Carrying on, the legs of the elephants are an unreal feature, making it imaginary. The legs are expected to be seen on a spider as their body weight can handle it. This is when the surrealism kicks in, because how can an elephant carry itself on thin legs. Salvador is playing on the attributions we automatically give to elephants; they are symbols of strength, dominance and power because of their weight and built. However by placing them on long, skinny legs it goes against the original idea. It gives the impression that not everything you assume is really the case. One critic said “its spindly legs contrasting the idea of weightlessness with structure." This point agrees with my statement because the painting makes everything look light-weightless. The viewpoint of this work is high up, because the focus is on the elephants. Using scale effectively; everything has been made small so our eyes will concrete on the elephants and wonder how they are so high up. The lighting used imitates a sunset; the source of light is soft and doesn’t over power the figures. The tones used follow the tonal range made by the colour wheel. No tone clash, but the colours build up on the last colour used. The artwork was
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painting by Salvador Dali, using dominance of figure to highlight his point, that we view elephants as power because of their weight. Another artwork by SalvadorDali which demonstrates the ‘impossible’ is the ‘Sleep’. This is the artwork on the right. The painting is Surreal because how can a sleeping head float and be held down by strings. The fact the head is floating is surreal, heads don’t just float, as they aren’t light like balloons filled with helium. This art piece highlights Salvador Dali surrealism style and how he goes against basic factual ideas we know.
Salvador Dali use of Surrealism can be used to influence many pieces of work in the modern day. One artist Franck Bohbot has done a series of work based on weightlessness. The figures in his work are levitating when they are expected to be on the floor. The idea of tacking science in your work is interesting. Franck Bohbot is doing something similar to Salvador Dali by going against the laws of gravity, which is something we automatically think about. Salvador Dali put all his elements together to create a surreal piece, so he can tackle basic factual ideas we have in our minds. Helping us to be creative as we see ‘Outside the Box’; opening our eyes seeing the creative and unexpected side of life. As he goes against common topics and displays the unique message of ‘expect the unexpected.’ The other artist who work is similar to Surrealism is Octavio Ocampo. He work is illusions which itself carries the idea of Reality and Dream meeting together. Octavio Ocampo is an artist who was born in the peak time of Surrealism. His paintings were part of the metamorphism period; metamorphism works hand in hand with Surrealism. Metamorphism fuses a number of figures together to create something new. Octavio Ocampo mostly works on portrait pictures, the portrait are made by placing figures together.
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The painting above is called “Kiss of the Sea”. After researching the painting, the art piece has no date, so I don’t know when the art piece was created. However he started his metamorphic painting at the age of 33 and he was born in February 1943. Therefore, I guess this piece was created after 1976. The painting is the typical artist work, as figures are combined together in a unique way to create another greater one. Octavio Ocampo work creates an optical illusion; detailed images are intricately woven together. The optical illusion comes by stepping forward and back as you study the piece, noticing the details and then recognizing the large scale image. David Airey made a statement saying “The longer one looks at his work, the more that is revealed. Faces come into focus at a distance and metamorphose into something else entirely in close up.” The statement shows, you will have to view the artwork in different viewpoints to understand the whole piece. The artwork is associated with both metamorphism and surrealism; the way things are placed in the work so decisively is effective and has an impact. Octavio Ocampo fused nature and humans together to get the affect of 2 people about to kiss. The artwork can influence modern multimedia; such as films, videos, because of the idea of fusing reality with reality to make something unrealistic.
Octavio Ocampo style was inspired by metamorphism; his style has influenced modern day multimedia work. An artist called Taylor McCormick, has some artwork which brings human and nature together just as Octavio Ocampo has done. In one of her designs, she focuses on a photo of a man’s body. On one Isaac Addo
side, the man’s natural features are present, however the other side is showing the forest and trees are branching of the guy. The tree has morphed with what the guy is wearing, making human and nature fuses together. This artwork is Surreal because it’s seems as the trees are part of the man’s body. The effect of fusing the two elements allows the artist to experiment. Artist with the confidence to experiment create inspirational work and in this case make something with more than one master piece entwined. Octavio Ocampo wanted to create pieces of work that when viewed; it will transform from one image to another. Octavio Ocampo philosophy is that “We live in various universes that are parallel to each other”, this is showcased through his work. His philosophy helps him study the relationship between the universe and ideologies. The painting Octavio Ocampo has created is imaginary, yet constructed well, as nature is creating human figures. The composition plays an important part in the painting, as everything is bought together and each area plays its part to create a memorable painting. The background draws your eyes because of the contrast used. The sea is following the rule of thirds as it takes up 2/3 of the canvas, to help define the contrast. The foreground is lightly displayed; the whites build an image, which works with the scene. The stalk in the middle of the two human figures is the point of interest; the colour stands out, as its dark and differs from the blue and purple used. Octavio Ocampo puts all these elements together, creating his metamorphicsurreal paintings; as he wants us to view the world differently because of the ideology he has. The idea we live in various Universes which are parallel. Octavio Ocampo works goes with common topics but displays them uniquely. His painting goes with factual knowledge we have, however he twists it and displays them through the fusion of Nature and Humans. The next artist is Carrie Ann Baade, she is known for her imaginative paintings, which has a surreal element to it. Same as Octavio, Carrie lived through the time Surrealism was at its peak; being popular and noticed worldwide. However Carrie Ann Baade is more focused on the idea of imagination; with her imaginative style she conveys themes that are important to her. She covers the themes of: mortality, sexuality, personal transformation and the darker side of human nature. Her style of expressing her imaginative ideas has been linked to the Surrealist movement, as her paintings fuse reality with dreams creating surrealist landscaped and figures.
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The painting above was created by Carrie Ann Baade in 2009 and is called ‘The Blasphemer’. The painting was made quite recently, as the artist was born in the 1970’s. Collage is the typical style of Carrie Ann Baade, she uses this technique to get her message across-which is different. However cutting out eyes and collaging them on top of the figure(s), is one way of collaging she favors and is consistent through her work. Another style Carrie Ann Baade likes is having three faces placed on one figure. Carrie Ann Baade techniques connect to the Surrealist movement because she brings dream aspect to real factors; through her imagination. Dream aspects are added, as certain items seem to be mix-match or misplaced, because of the collage technique. Therefore she creates the feeling that the painting is hidden something; there can be a hidden meaning. Carrie Ann Baade paintings link with narrative project, because her work has a hidden story/message which needs to be conveyed. It is said that Carrie Ann Baade paintings have “Allegorical metanarratives”; this supports my view because, her artwork has a story behind it, that when revealed has a moral/political meaning. Carrie Ann Baade painting ‘The Blasphemer’ is an allegory. The painting has a story behind it because of the importance of the thorn vines. When viewing the painting, you notice the thorn vines straight away. The vines stand out as colour usage was considered in the piece. The vines and the stroke they have are bright, while the rest of the image is toned down. The effect of tonal range, pushes the thorns more out and makes it catch your attention. The thorn vines are important as they show blasphemy being expressed. Thorn Vines are harmful, so the use and significance they have tells us what blasphemy is like. The artist describes the scene in the piece as “Cursing is one of the few ways to express the extent of our emotions”. The artist description supports my view, as the vines represent the expression of cursing and how dangerous it is. The tonal range and stroke help identify the key factor and makes us follow the thorns to see where they end up. The narrative is told easier as the important factor is seen quicker. Carrie Ann Baade; has surrealism within her painting because of the dream aspects placed. The collaged eyes don’t match any skin tone within the image and the figure has three mouths. These factors are possible with imagination. Yes, there are dream aspects, however her work has reality. The two hands are holding onto the thorns; sometimes people hold/touch thorns by accident and are hurt by them. The collage eyes show a sense of pain, that they are being inflicted with damage. This shows her work is surreal as she has imagination mixed with reality, proving her art work is influenced by surrealism.
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Carrie Ann Baade style is unique and inspired by Surrealism and imagination. Another artist, Julien Pacaud is also influenced by the same movements. Furthermore his artworks have allegories. Julien Pacaud created this piece above. Similar to Carrie Ann Baade dream aspects are shown, because the main figure has no human facial features but only a question mark. Furthermore, he uses tonal range to help the viewers identify the important factors. The red arrow is significant as it stands out and then leads us to the front of the image. The use of colour is important, because nothing clashed with the arrow to get the viewer confused. Similar to the thrones in ‘The Blasphemer’ Julien Pacaud work directs the viewers to the key factor which will help convey the hidden message-Why is the question mark on the boy face? The location and the question mark colour, contrast was consider, because it allows the question mark to be seen easier after being directed by the red arrow. Carrie Ann Baade puts all elements together in her paintings to display a story, as she focuses on making the artwork an allegory. The elements put together, constructed in a collage type of technique, help the artwork have a hidden meaning to be revealed after analyzing the piece. Carrie Ann Baade paintings go with common topics and factual knowledge as her work has hidden meanings on morality/political situations. She displays the message in an imaginative type of way as she adds her dream aspects to the design.
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Nicholas Max is the artist I am looking at for inspiration in designing my narrative project. Nicholas Max designs are also surreal as he brings reality and dreams together in his work. The photo’s above was made by Nicholas Max, he is an artist who is still making work upto today only 20 years old. He art style is surreal and is influenced by a movement start in the 1920’s. Nicholas Max is similar to all the artists as he considers tonal range when creating his work, because if the tonal/contrast is bad the surreal affect won’t have an impact. Nicholas Max work is similar to Salvador Dali, in the fact he challenges the factual things we know, by creating something that’s seems real. The fact it looks like reality opens up our closed minds to view things differently. The composition is familiar to Octavio Ocampo, because the background plays a huge part in the art work. Both artists use nature to help create a solid background, captivating the viewers. His work is similar to Carrie Ann Baade as the key factor-the important thing to be seen, the contrast is used wisely. Furthermore we are directed to see what’s going on as his work displays a story, as I raise questions while viewing his work. To Conclude, the research and investigation into Surrealism; proves modern day media has been affect but the concept of having contradictions, putting dream and reality together. The idea of having a contrasting effect within you work, has influenced many artist to experiment and have their own style/technique produce a surreal outcome. Multimedia has been affected as you can find this combination of dream and reality within Illustrations, Literature, Films, Paintings. The movement which started in the 1920’s still has an impact on today’s photographers and mixed media artist. Nicholas Max is still producing photographic work which has a juxtaposition atmosphere to it. Surrealism has not only affected modern media visually but it has helped artist be able to tell a narrative through the use of combining the two contrasting factors. Allowing the viewers to be entertained and enlightened, being able to see stories they can only imagine, be produced and viewed with their own eyes.
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Bibliography http://carrieannbaade.com/news/ http://www.carrieannbaade.com/gallery-intemperance.html http://www.julienpacaud.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elephants http://www.dali-gallery.com/html/analyses/1937_06a.htm http://en.wahooart.com/@@/8XYN25-Octavio-Ocampo-Kiss-of-the-Sea http://www.davidairey.com/octavio-ocampo-and-art-that-makes-you-looktwice/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavio_Ocampo http://www.taylormccormick.com/
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