Narrative Essay- Lauren Archer

How Does Photo Manipulation Help Artists Explore Surrealism?

Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, that strives to “​revolutionise human experience, rejecting a rational vision of life in favour of one that asserted the value of the unconscious and dreams” with examples of famous Surrealists being Joan Miró, René Magritte, Yves Tanguy and Salvador Dali ​(1)​. Through photo manipulation and digital editing, artists and photographers are able to explore surrealism in a more ‘lifelike’ sense, blurring the line between what is fantasy and what is reality. As technology has become more advanced over time, photo manipulation has been made easier, with programmes like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator that help produce all types of design. For this essay, three surrealist-inspired artists will be compared by their style, time period and art form, to explore how they incorporate photo manipulation in to their art work.

I have chosen Vincent Bourilhon, Franck Allais and Gunter Rambow, as each artist uses photo manipulation to create surrealistic pieces of art, with each exploring different styles and concepts of surrealism and fantasy. In this essay I will analyse each artists work, studying how they use photo manipulation to show surrealism in a way that is unique to them, to answer the question that I have proposed.

“I love fantasizing, I love inventing and creating. I think the real world is flat, not original and very negative. If art does not lead us to a different world in which we all live, it does not meet its mission. I am passionate about the dream and magic that surround our thoughts. If we can express ourselves, we should do that.” - ​Vincent Bourilhon (​ 2) Vincent Bourilhon is a Parisian artist who combines his love for cinema, poetry and dreams with graphic design, digital retouching and photography to create art that depicts an imaginary universe. He began practicing photography since he was sixteen and has worked with many companies including Paris Airport, MyMajorCompany, Sony Distribution, Opéra Grand Avignon and CPC Aerospace ​(3)​. I chose Bourilhon as he draws his inspiration from cinema, poetry and the fantasy world of dreams, which is shown through the way his work has an apparent surrealistic overall theme to it. In relation to the quote above, Vincent Bourilhon is stating that the world needs art in order to change the world in to a more positive, creative space in which anyone can express themselves and invent, which photo manipulation can help with. I agree with what Bourilhon is trying to get across because art does allow you to create original and imaginative pieces of work that conveys a message, which in turn can influence and change people’s perspectives on positive aspects of life.

Through art, we are able to express our feeling and thoughts, and by expressing them through surrealism conveys how Bourilhon does not see the world as black and white, but

instead a place that is full of colour, creativity and abstract realities- almost like a dream land formed from our imagination, and through photo manipulation, he is able to do so.

Vincent Bourilhon’s artwork is relevant to my question surrounding photo manipulation and surrealism. All his pieces follow a theme of dream-like fantasies, depicting himself in unique environments and out of place situations. He uses photo editing softwares to create the appearance that he is floating, invisible, small or shaped in an abstract way. The advanced level of photo-manipulation means that his work almost appears real, but the settings and stories juxtapose this with an aspect of fantasy. His work also usually involves a vibrant, colourful, or a dark and stormy filter/colour correction, aiding the works mise en scene and emotion. Being an artist that is producing work in the modern day, 21st century gets across the different social aspects of his work- how now more people are taking on creative career paths instead of the traditional, and how issues like mental health is explored more openly in a society that is much more accepting to it.

This piece of work follows the same trend as Bourilhon's other work as it uses a surrealistic concept, imaginative and meaningful photo manipulation and a cinematic filter. As a lover of cinema, poetry and dreams, his background reflects his admiration for building an imaginary, cinematic universe, creating a surrealistic artwork.

In the artwork you can see a man, who appears to be Bourilhon, standing in a doorway on a field in a rural area. Book pages are seen floating away from the man’s hands and the sky seems stormy and smoky. To describe this piece of art I would say it is somber, dull, illusive and inventive. It is clear that it was made using photography and props, and digital editing. The artwork is partly representational as well as realistic, as it depicts a real setting which the model is actually within, however the book pages could be representational of flowing ideas or dreams. From what is shown, the person within the artwork is a young male, wearing a plain

black suit which makes the audience question why he is in the middle of a field dressed in city clothing. The setting is spacious and vast, getting across the dark stormy sky and smoke coming up on the left, which could be symbolic of the struggles or dark past of the person in the picture/ the photographer- relating to when Bourilhon stated ​“​I am interested in my daily life as an "aesthetic object". I needed to express myself so I started to take self-portraits” ​(4)​. This meant that he sees his life as an object to be used to make art, and his only way to express his feelings is by having himself actually within the art through self portraits. The overall mood of the artwork conveys sadness or lassitude, as the lighting gets across the moody nature of the picture and the body language of the man makes him appear like he has given up on something. The art work reminds me of a sci-fi fantasy film, where people can teleport through doors in to different realms and dimensions, which conveys how the piece of work can be representational of how the man is escaping something or travelling in to a new life and shutting the door on the old. What interests me the most about the image is how out of place but slightly relevant the scene is, how the door and city clothing has no place in the countryside but shows how people feel like outsiders in society. Much of Bourilhon’s other work incorporates doors, suggesting he has a running theme surrounding new beginnings and mystery. I think that Bourilhon uses surrealism in the image to get across that the man is giving up on past ideas or goals and is going through a door to a new life or to new ambitions, in an unrealistic way to emphasise the feeling of being out of control. Through photo editing, Bourilhon explored surrealism in a personal and reflective way that expresses his emotion at the time.

My own narrative work relates to Bourilhon’s as I used digital editing to produce a surrealist concept by scaling myself down and placing myself in an out of place situation. The overall feel of my work is light-hearted and conveys a fantasy- which links to how Bourilhon creates imaginary worlds through his photo manipulation.

“I like to question people’s perceptions of objects whose role and function are so often taken for granted. Photography allows me to play with the ordinary and present these things in a more unusual environment.”​- Franck Allais ​(5) Franck Allais is a French photographer, who lives and works in London. Allais is known for "disrupting the habitual way of seeing and questioning everyday visual references". Some of his editorial client work includes The World of Interior, Indian Vogue, Glamour, Bon Magazine and GQ Magazine, as well as advertising client work such as; Oasis, Cheestrings, Specsavers, EA Sports, McDonald's and Red Bull ​(6)​. I chose Allais as his work involves photo manipulation of scale, to create surrealistic pieces that depict inatible objects as large or human like, as well as creating a collection of work that portrayed business men in female office clothing. In regards to the quote by Franck Allais, he is conveyed as an artist who works to question people’s perceptions, and through surrealism he can do so effectively. Like Vincent Bourilhon, His photography and photo manipulation

gives him an outlet to present the world in a new abstract way, rather than bleak and dismal as sometimes photography likes to portray it as. He plays with the ordinary by creating out of place situations, producing light-hearted pieces of work that give people joy and entertainment.

Franck Allais’ work all follow the theme presented in my opening question, as each depicts an abstract, surrealistic concept through the use of photo editing. By portraying objects and animals in out of place environments, Allais creates humorous but complex designs by producing a juxtaposition between reality and fantasy. In some pieces he plays with scale, showing humans as miniature compared to objects like chairs, toys and taps as well as animals like dogs and rabbits. His work expresses his childish whims, such as the girl sitting with an enormous teddy bear that conveys how surrealism can be used in a fun and youthful sense. The middle piece showing businessmen in London dressed in traditional female office clothing, such as heels and skirts, relates to the time period that Allais has made his work in. By subverting the stereotypical ‘breadwinner’ city man idea by showing them as lady-like uses surrealism to question society’s norms on masculinity, showing that in this postmodern era art is used to change people’s perspectives on what they see as normal and natural- which relates to his quote mentioned earlier. The piece makes the audience at first laugh, as it is placing such a normal aspect of life in a surrealistic way, but once you look in to the deeper meaning the work is promoting a more serious outlook on society- that masculinity is not fixed to the breadwinner role, and that femininity is not fixed to being a housewife and mother. Allais work is very similar to Bourilhon’s in colour, photography and story sense, however Bourilhon focuses on himself as the subject and his own emotions, whereas Allais uses a range of people and objects that fit with the scenario in the image.

This piece reflects the same artistic style as the other work

by Allais, as it creates a narrative by using photo manipulation to show objects or people in strange environments, producing juxtaposition with sizing and scale, which gives his work a mystical and cinematic feel. In the artwork we can see two farmers and their dog, pointing rifles

at a dinosaur creature who is shown to be intruding on their private property. The unlikely intruder creates a sense of surrealism as obviously dinosaurs are extinct, but by placing it in such a realistic and simple surrounding gets across the out-of-place nature of the work by creating a binary opposition between the dullness of reality and the fascination of fantasy.

The two human characters appear to be farmers, as they are presented in stereotypical country/farming costume, and are known to carry rifles to protect their land from trespassers. The dinosaur can be seen as a toy doll that a child would play with, furthering the surrealistic feel as it is giving life to something that is not real. The overall mise en scene of the piece gets across the feeling of mystery, suspense and eeriness. An enigma is produced as the viewer is left thinking about whether or not the farmers will shoot, and how a dinosaur appeared on their land and why. This leads to suspense as we are left on the edge, wondering what will happen next, with the guns creating a sense of fear and tension between the characters in the work. The foggy, hazy and sombre appearance of the piece gives an eerie feel, as the fog gets across that they are hidden, and connotes magic or horror that is common in surrealism. The spacious setting of the piece makes the viewer focus on the situation that is unfolding, with the fog acting as a frame. Allais uses photography mixed with photo manipulation to produce his cinematic, surrealistic pieces that are meant to challenge reality. The artwork reminds me of a kids tv show or a fantasy film like jurassic world, where creatures are brought to life through digital editing and special effects. What interests me the most about the artwork is how mystery is conveyed through its foggy and eerie mise en scene and the suspense that is formed from the lingering question on why the dinosaur appeared, and whether they will shoot the guns or not, leaving the audience with an unanswered enigma. Through photo-manipulation of scale, Franck Allais was able to explore surrealism in a playful sense, using a toy in a real life setting to get across the fantasy aspect of the piece, relating to how kids make up stories in their heads when playing with toys and figurines. Bourilhon in contrast adds more serious and sombre undertones to his work, conveying a deeper meaning as he is focusing on his own feelings rather than just playing around with surrealistic narratives, which as he quotes “​reflects my admiration for the discipline​”.(7) Franck Allais’ work links to my own through the use of scale. For my book cover and poster I incorporated the idea of humans being miniature in comparison to everyday objects, to get across the unrealistic and whimsical mise en scene of my piece which is a clear theme to Allais’ art.

"I believe that everything I have done in my life has been a response to my environment: to socio-political concerns but also to simple matters with which I have placed myself in a dialogue or a context. Individual communication can only take place when it has a socially meaningful basis. Otherwise it is just decoration and tinsel."-​ Gunter Rambow ​(8)

Gunter Rambow is a German graphic designer, born in 1938 in the Prussian town of Neustrelitz in Mecklenburg where he grew up in the postwar communist German Democratic Republic. Since 1974 he has been a Member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) where he studied glass painting at Staatliche Glasfachschule Hadamar.

By 1954-58 he began studying graphics under Hans Hillmann at HBK Kassel. Since 2008 he created the Rambow institute for visual communication and Rambow Gallery, and by 2011 he became the head of the Güstrow private research institute attached to HBKsaar (9)​. In relation to his quote, Rambow can be seen as an artist who creates work for a reason, to give his opinion on his environment and society by making work that promotes a message, which can relate to Franck Allais’ collection of work depicting business men in female clothing. He sees art as being a form of communicating meanings in the world, rather than just for decoration and to be looked at. I chose Rambow as his art depicts how he sees the world, not how the world sees him.

Gunter Rambow explores surrealism through his artwork, with this collection of book designs being an example. ​"Photo manipulation dates back to some of the earliest photographs captured on glass and tin plates during the 19th century. The practice began not long after the creation of the first photograph (1825) by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce who developed heliography and made the first photographic print from a photo-engraved printing plate" (10). These pieces of art therefore convey how even when digital editing was scarce and slowly developing, photo manipulation was used in order to create engaging, surrealistic and out of place narratives that would have confused the viewer to fascinate the art more. The use of black and white within the pieces gets across the time frame it was set within, but also creates a juxtaposition between the pre digital era when colour was deemed as a technological breakthrough, with the growing interest in to surrealism and creating pieces that reflect a modern way of thinking and creating. It also connotes Rambow’s view on his society at the time, as growing up in a post-war communist democratic republic may mean that his work has a sombre, negative

undertone where the black and white highlights how colour and life was drained from the society by politics. ​“Soviet occupation ​authorities began transferring administrative responsibility to German communist leaders in 1948, and the GDR began to function as a state on 7 October 1949. However, Soviet forces remained in the country throughout the Cold War. Until 1989, the GDR was governed by the Socialist Unity Party (SED), though other parties nominally participated in its alliance organisation, the National Front of Democratic Germany. The SED made the teaching of Marxism-Leninism and the Russian language compulsory in schools”​ (11). The criticism of the Republic by Rambow may be down to how his country was taken over by the Soviet Union, with its public forced to learn the ways of communism and the Soviet language. The black and white conveys how communism has made everyone the same, taking away their individuality that can be expressed through colour. This is a stark contrast to Bourilhon and Allais’ work, where they rely on vibrant filters and effects to give their work a light-hearted, fun look.

In this piece we can see a book covered in a crowd of people and faces, which makes the book hidden and disguised with the background. The crowd appears to be only made up of men, set in the early 80s with traditional suits and hats that were common of the time. Being black and white, the artwork exaggerates its old fashioned look, making it appear like the audience is looking back in to a piece of history. The fact that the men are almost spewing out of the book may convey how in the past books are predominantly written about or by men, with majority of history being based on male experiences. It could also suggest how books are what form humans, learn from, teach from and write for in order to ensure history is not lost over time. The work shows a surrealistic feel by placing the book so large, making the book appear as though it is being made from humans and how photo manipulation positions it to seem out of place and obstructive. The choice to have all men may reflect male dominance in the book industry or within society as whole at the time. The over crowded and stuffy feeling of the work gets across the cramped mise en scene, using the men to cover up all negative space to make the piece more complex and appealing. This overwhelming feeling of all the people reminds me of the 'Where's Wally?' books- where people would have to search for one particular person amongst a crowd of hundred others (this relates to communism as people were all restricted to the same resources that made them hard to differentiate) which is effective as it makes the work more engaging to look at, as you find something new the longer you view. The work may have been made through photography and early digital editing, or by collaging each person with printed out images.

This piece is similar to other artwork Rambow has produced like the collection of work that all incorporate a book in some surrealistic way, such as a book being lit up by a lightbulb or

a hand coming out from the book holding a pen. Each piece follows the trend of black and white and all explore surrealism and out-of-place in a different and creative way. What interests me the most with this piece of art is how the book blends in with the background so effectively, and how the black and white allows you to focus on the whole picture rather than only the parts where bright colours stand out. Through this piece, Gunter Rambow explores surrealism in a different way to Bourilhon and Allais, as it is more sombre, without a bright filter or light-hearted narrative. Instead this artwork conveys how surrealism can be shown through early forms of photo-manipulation, where technology was not so advanced and accessible for everyone.

I linked my work to Rambow’s by making book covers, merging it with Allais and Bourilhon’s theme of manipulating scale and creating fantasy. For the poster design I incorporated myself holding a book with a hand reaching out of it, to give the piece a slight dark feeling that’s common in Rambow’s work, even though it was mainly influenced by the other two artists.

In conclusion, it is clear that photo manipulation technology is very effective in helping artists explore the theme of surrealism in their work. For Bourilhon, photo editing meant that his photography can be transformed in to work that depicts a fantasy world, like a dream, by putting himself in different out of place situations. Simarlily, Allais also uses digital editing to challenge our views on scale and reality, by exploring surrealism through his narrative driven artwork, and also our views on society- shown through his work on London business men dressed in a stereotypically feminine way. Unlike the others, Rambow created his work throughout the 70s, when photo editing was not as advanced as it is now, therefore his work conveys how surrealism can still be portrayed through art without the advantage of technology and digital editing softwares. However, like Allais, Rambows work is created for the purpose of communication, to send messages about the communist German republic he lived within through his childhood; hence the sombre, negative underlying tone of his black and white work. Overall, I believe that photo manipulation has helped shape the way surrealism is portrayed in art, as it has allowed artists to convey a whole new reality in their surrealistic work in a much more realistic appearing way.

My Narrative Outcome

Bibliography

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