How does Surrealism afect the photography and Art that the Artist makes?
Introduction Although decades have passed since the first idea of Surrealism being implemented into visual art, in the early 1920’s to be exact, the theme is still very appealing to artists, distorting what we know about the world through art. This idea has allowed artists to think outside of the social barriers presented in our society to try and bring forth either a message or idea through the use of Surrealism. The reason that I wanted to learn more about Surrealism and talk about the topic is that I have always been interested in things that aren’t real, but have been depicted by others, anything from mythology, dreams, stories and much more. Because of this, I plan to include more surreal and dream-like qualities into my work. The movement isn’t just about what you can see and what is real, but more about how you as an individual capture the world, therefore placing these pieces of art into a spectrum of feelings and meanings. In this essay, I plan to analyze the works of Vincent Bourilhon, Alexandra Belissimo and Salvador Dali in order to answer the question on how Surrealism affects modern photography and art. I also plan to see how the message or story of the artist can be displayed through the variety of art that they make. Vincent Bourilhon In Vincent Bourlihon’s work, Surrealism definitely affects his work in terms of photography as he must take his photos in order to create these Surreal pieces of art. Vincent Bourlihon’s work is hugely based on the idea of dreams and capturing them as memories (represented by the jars). In this image (1) that Vincent Bourilhon created, the setting is night, and the subject is staring at an open jar, which is projecting an image of the moon. The setting is also very spacious, with the only objects being the jar and the man, with the houses and trees as the background. Words I would use in order to describe the image would be: mystical, serene and mysterious. In order to have made this image, I believe he would’ve used a number of primary photos and combined them using Photoshop. The image seems more representational, as it isn’t realistic for a jar to project an image of the moon. If I had to describe it to someone who could not see the image, I would say that there is a man, laying on the grass at early night, staring into a jar that is not only projecting an image of the moon and night sky, but is also emitting light as well. The subject in the image is a white young/early middle aged man wearing, what looks like a fleece jumper. He also looks both intrigued and like he’s reminiscing about an event in the past. This image reminds me of the events that would take place in a fantasy book or film because of the mystical light held within the jar. However, everything in this image is recognizable, apart from the blue light. What interests me the most is the light and the images projected by the jar. The image was created on May 14 2014, and is similar to some of his other pieces Vincent has created, with different images in the jars and in different angles. I believe there is an ongoing theme about mixing dreams with reality. He is a Parisian artist who has a great enthusiasm for theatre and poetry, finding poems and dreams for his work. From looking at the subject in the image, he looks like he has lived a happy life in the past, but it may not be the case in the present, because he looks like he is remembering the past, rather than thinking about the present. I believe the most important subject in the picture is the jar and lights, because it is made to look like the main focus. The mood seems calm, not too dark or too light-hearted. This is suggested by the colours and the fact that nothing hectic is going on. The lighting also adds to the calm nature of this image. What makes the image feel empty is the fact that no movement is happening in the image, both in the foreground and the background. The stars could symbolize the dream theme of the image, because when thinking about dreams, the night sky is a prominent theme. I believe that living in that image would be much like living in our world, but with more mystical secrets to discover, as it looks a lot like our world. I believe the figure is feeling intrigue and nostalgia. And it doesn’t seem different from the overall mood of Vincent’s work. The composition of the picture is spacious to really focus on the figure and the setting to get a feeling of mystery across to the viewer. Also, I like the person in the artwork because without the figure then the image has a different feel. The reason that this artist relates to the question of how surrealism has effected modern day art is that it uses aspects of modern life, e.g. laying outside in your garden at night, and combines that with an idea that is improbable to re-create in the real world.
Alexandria Belissimo Surrealism is affect Alexandra’s photography and art in the sense that the photos had to be captured in such a way as to create her pieces, and the art has an element of myth and ideological themes, making the pieces she creates fit into the Surrealism label. Alexandra Bellisimo focuses on the darker side of surrealism and combines nature with people to create freaky and intimidating pieces of art. In Alexandria’s work (2), there is a woman in a plain room with branches for eyes and a plain, emotionless face. To me, the piece looks creepy and intimidating, due to the black and white nature and the emotionless face of the women. In order to have made this piece, I believe that she would have used her own photography and Photoshop in order to manipulate the image. However, she actually uses collage to make them instead. The piece is definitely representational, because no-one has branches for eyes. It could represent how strange the world can be, or how blind people feel. A woman, who is looking across the room in a blank room. The woman is, or appears to be naked. In the woman’s eyes, there are dark branches. The woman is in the foreground of the image. The person in this picture is a young to middle aged white woman looking into the distance. The person in this picture looks emotionless, or maybe a bit lost, looking away with her mouth slightly open, like she wants to say something. The setting appears to be very spacious with only points of interest being the women and the branches coming out of her eyes. Alexandria’s work reminds me of some post-modernist pieces, trying to express a deeper meaning. The picture is different from real life because this is not an everyday occurrence to have branches for eyes, meaning that the theme affected the way she created her art in order to push the ideas that she wanted to portray. I find the branches in her eyes the most interesting because I’m curious as to not only why she has branches for eyes, but why they are so dark, compared to the other parts of the image. This piece, named infringement, was taken in early 2012, and is similar to most of her works, as they are part of a collection she makes, the on-going theme for these pieces being the psychological and physical relationship we have with nature, obviously effected by the theme of Surrealism. Alexandria Belissimo got her BFA from the college of Pasadena in 2011 and went on to do collective and single art exhibition. Nothing in the image gives a clear indication as to how they lived or how they arrived to this point. In the image, the branches in the women’s eyes are the most important part of this image, because they are surrounded by mystery as to why they are there in the first place. The mood of this art work that Alexandria created is very dark because of the black and white theme, the dark branches and the expression on the women’s face. The colour palette especially adds to the scary and intimidating feeling of the piece. The plain background makes the image looks spacious, despite how close the woman is. The branches simulate that maybe there is a psychological issue within the image, and that everything isn’t exactly as it seems. If I was in the painting, I would find it scary because of the supernatural and creepy way the branches are coming from the women’s eyes. The composition of the picture is spacious to really focus on the figure and the branches, to give an intimidating and creepy feel to the image. I don’t like the person in the artwork because the woman has hardly any expression in her face, losing her humanness. The idea of combining frightening aspects of dreams to her art and the people in the images also helps to answer the question of how surrealism has effected modern day art, both through happy and sad senses. Despite Alexandra’s and Vincent’s work looking so different from each other, they have a surprising amount of similarities, as well as a number of differences between them. One big similarity these artist share is the medium in which they work with. They both use photography and use their own images in their artwork. They also both use Photoshop in order to manipulate the image to their will and change them. The narrative techniques they use are also similar. They both use a combination of different images in order to create one final piece, or mono-scenic image. Their subjects, both using humans as their main focus point, can also be classed as a similarity. One major difference between Alexandra and Vincent is the emotions that the pieces put across. Alexandra’s piece appears to put across quite an intimidating feeling across to the viewer, looking scary and harsh. In contrast, Vincent’s piece provokes feelings of curiosity and serenity. The composition style is also different. Alexandra seems to use the rule of thirds, directing the eye-line of the viewers from the branches coming from the woman’s eyes down onto the women herself, whereas Vincent, I believe uses the golden rule in his composition. The viewer’s eye-line gets dragged from the shining moon, to the man laying down and to the night sky. Finally, the themes that these pieces are a part of are completely different from
each other. Vincent’s work is based on the theme of dreams, and Alexandra’s work is based on, what I think is about being different and unique, but in an intimidating manner, showing how completely different these subjects are. Salvador Dalí Salvador Dali uses paintings and obscure objects in a combination in order to provide a deeper meaning to society, using surrealism. In this image (3) I can see lots of clocks, melting in a desert, during the day. This painting is very mysterious and compelling to me. It also makes me think about what message the image is trying to convey. By the looks of the image, it was made with paints and has no Photoshop elements used on it at all. This is probably because there was no Photoshop when he was alive. To me, this image is definitely representational, trying to convey a deeper meaning. I would describe the piece as three melting clocks in a desert. One on a tree branch, one on a corner of what looks to be a be a box, and one melting on some kind of creature. There are no people or figures in the image, meaning that this isn’t on an individual level, but rather a wider and more social level. The setting in the image is very spacious, trying to portray the emptiness of the desert. The image reminds me of a story and how distorted it can become, because not everything is as it should be. The image is majorly different to real life, because clocks do not melt, and are not naturally found in the desert, unless someone left them there. In the painting, the clocks interest me the most as I want to know why they are melting, who left them there and why they are melting. This particular piece, named The Persistence of Memory, was made in 1931 with oil paints, and is slightly similar to other pieces made by Salvador. I personally believe that there is an ongoing theme with messages presented about society. For example, this piece makes me think that time is running out and is melting through our fingers, so we shouldn’t waste any opportunities given to us. Dali became the leader of the surrealist movement in 1930, but eventually got expelled from the movement in 1934. This could have effected the movement and what work he produced. During the 1930’s, Britain, U.S., Japan, France, and Italy sign naval disarmament treaty. Also, Nazis gained power in German elections. In my opinion, the most important part of the image is the clocks, as they hold significant value as to what Salvador Dali was trying to convey in his piece. The mood is very somber and laid-back, but hides a more serious tone to it. The colours in the piece contrast to add effect to the painting, making it seem like a very hot day, making me feel more laid-back. The empty space helps make the image more spacious I believe that the clocks symbolize the fact that time is slipping away and that the desert, with it’s laid-back feeling, suggests how it is being wasted because we are doing nothing with the time. To live in the painting would be quite confusing, as not many things in the painting makes sense to modern day society. This image effects modern day surrealism because this piece was the start of the surrealism movement, and has effected the way that we view surrealistic art today. Salvador Dali’s work looks so different in comparison to Alexandra’s and Vincent’s. Despite this, they all have a surprising amount of similarities, as well as a number of differences between them. One big difference between Salvador, Alexandra and Vincent’s work is the medium in which they work with. Dali uses oil paints to create his images, because modern day photography and Photoshop did not exist in his time. However, Alexandra and Vincent both use photography and use their own images in their artwork. The narrative techniques the artists use are similar though. They all use a combination of different images or subjects in order to create one piece of art in order to create a surreal and deeper meaning to their art. Vincent and Alexandra both using humans as their main focus point, but Salvador has no humans in his art. Only a strange combination of elements to create figures. One major difference between Alexandra, Salvador and Vincent works is the emotions that the pieces put across. Alexandra’s piece appears to put across quite an intimidating feeling across to the viewer, looking scary and harsh. In contrast, Vincent’s piece provokes feelings of curiosity and serenity, and Salvador’s creates deeper meaning. The composition style is also different.
Conclusion In conclusion, the use of surrealism helps to bring more creative elements to people’s art. For Vincent Bourlihon, he uses surrealism to create majestic and mystical pieces, for example the glowing jars. For Alexandra Belissimo, she uses it to create intimidating and horrifying art. And Salvador uses surrealism to make people think about life through the messages he portrays through it. Overall, I believe that the concept of surrealism has made a huge contribution to modern day art. It has made narratives and storytelling much easier to convey what is going on in the work of art. Images used in this essay
By Katie lewin Bibliography: http://www.vincent-bourilhon.com/about-me.html http://alexandrabellissimo.com/ http://www.salvadordali.com/ http://www.biography.com/people/salvador-dal-40389#early-life