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Faces (Leo Bugaev, 2004)
DREAM & REALITY
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The Surreal Photography By Séverine GROSJEAN
Briefly
From the iconic media, both characterized by capturing reality as it is, or at least cause us this feeling, and the most sensitive experimental technique are film and photography. Three reasons: the experimental possibilities, as is the case of the introduction of the random factor in the photograph; the sense of reality despite being a fiction and removal of formal representations of the bourgeoisie, which undoubtedly meant the revolutionary movement led by Breton. One of the most important chapters in the history of modern visual culture, moving in the field of art, after Dada images with the reasons and purposes were complete strangers to him, the Surrealists made photography an instrument of conversion of gaze in all its scope, their legacy is probably the most "revolutionary". The Surrealism is brewing in Paris, launched by a group of writers who are unhappy with the anarchy that launched Dada, and coalesce around the journal "Literature" between 1921 and 1923, and from which arise the first "official organ" of this movement The RĂŠvolution SurrĂŠaliste . In 1924 Breton made the first manifesto of Surrealism is defined as follows: "Pure psychic automatism by which it tries to express either verbally or in writing, the true function of thought. Dictation true in the absence of any control exercised by reason, and outside all aesthetic or moral concern. " Thus regulatory intervention of reason and alluded aside the aesthetic and moral prejudices of "good taste" bourgeois, automatism become the ideal way to access the symbolic world of the unconscious and bring out the hidden forces of being human. One sees a clear desire to assert the negated by conventional morality, to seek a meeting point between the rational and the irrational, finding the liberating role of eroticism. On the one hand the slope based on improvisation that, freed from the role of play objects, creating rhythms and discontinuous linear tangles near abstraction, and graphically pure emanation of the unconscious, and without being subject to reason. On the other side is the verismo wing, farming figuration to present images that do not obey the logic of wakefulness and that a high degree of arbitrariness, are equipped with a powerful capacity to surprise the viewer, either posing riddles or evoking and translating the erotic instincts thanatic or subject. The primary goal of the surrealist movement was to liberate the modern mind by demonstrating how deep psychological impulses could be explored, depicted, and fused with everyday reality. Despite the perception that photography presented the most direct depiction of surface reality, or perhaps because of it, the medium presented an ideal arena for surrealist artists to explode the traditional bounds of visual representation in ways that continue to
influence artists today. Surrealists experimented with unprecedented technical manipulations, both before the camera and in the darkroom, turning the so-called realist medium of photography into a vehicle for depicting the fantastical. This impulse to uncover latent Surrealist affinities in popular imagery accounts, in part, for the enthusiasm with which Surrealists embraced Eugène Atget's photographs of Paris . Death in 1927, he‘s the founding father of modern photography. This myth, in 1928, appears to be built around the same difficulty that critics talk about the content of the photographs of Atget. While his work is primarily associated with a photograph whose essential quality is its documentary value, it quickly becomes an object that crystallizes a whole phantasmagoria consecrated by the Surrealists. The anonymous publication in 1926, three of his photographs in the number 7 of La Révolution surréaliste and the two retrospective exhibitions in 1928 are the preliminaries of a discourse that draws on the work of the photographer. In Atget's photographs of the deserted streets of old Paris and of shop windows haunted by elegant mannequins, the Surrealists recognized their own vision of the city
"Magasin, avenue des Gobelins" (1925), d'Eugène Atget
The photography is unaware of his artistic status, becoming distant from traditional aesthetic approaches, when you get a creator status, but photography is now an autonomous discipline, so it will become a means of expression for all offenders creators of the twenties and thirties who are members of the surrealist movement.
What the surrealimo absorbed photographic model was fundamentally the way they operate and proceed images by unconscious articulation of reality, for it used two procedures: the manipulated photographs or technical surrealism, and those that were not manipulated To understand how photography can translate these surreal ideas, remember that image manipulation is fully acceptable in that it breaks the rules of reality and frees the invention and creativity. Thus produce strange ways that border on the dream and help the unconscious to emerge through the senses. However the number of surrealist photographers who did not have a distorted reality through the camera was important . The pictures made at the documentary they had, thanks to its inevitable mechanical condition records, which only served to transmit called "found objects."
Surrealist themes The surrealist movement was interested in renewing psychology, philosophy, ethnography, anthropology, and of course, sociology is not surprising that we find these themes in the photographs We can find numerous photographs of the streets of Paris, some not differentiate any other photograph, and leveraging other events marking the introduction into the daily life of irrational forces and elements captured by the camera random highlighting of thus azaridad of things and thereby establishing a link with automatic writing. We also have numerous images depicting everyday objects but at present decontextualized ever reach other dimensions, which does not mean that it is less multidimensional images manipulated, since the normal association also breaks
Techniques & Reflections The experiments are closely related themes. This is also what unifies production, Indeed, the perception of nature semiotic level, is a recurring theme. Among the themes that have marked surrealism woman, nude , object.
The photogram This process is not new, except Shad (Dada) and Man Ray, this Talbot in 1839 the "photogenic drawings" at the Royal Society, which belong to the same principle. The fact of the integration in a thoughtful and aesthetic approach to change the idea. This amounts to a simple manipulation of light. However, this technique is not so innocent in the bias of surrealism as it allows to compare antagonists objects. This method is that by which we draw the eye above. They want to enhance mundane objects that are part of everyday life. The method aestheticizes forms.
William Henry Fox Talbot – Photogenic Drawing of a Plant (1835-1845)
Burning : Raoul Ubac and David Hare devised the method. This is simply to soften the emulsion in contact with heat. The final image is formed in part by lucky he also called the "divine coincidence" . Burning permits very random deformations, which can meet the phantasmagoria.
Raoul Ubac, La NĂŠbuleuse, 1939
The space writting ... Or ... drawing with light emulsion which is the direct holder is Man Ray innovating the process. For Breton was a photograph of the thought, light application of surrealist photography. This method allows between others expressed as per drawing or painting, we find a world imaginary.
Man Ray, Space Writing (Self-Portrait), 1935
Solarization ... More ... known as the Sabatier effect. It is a restatement of the negative development. Solarization is a veil, a shadow around the photographed subject. Some values are inverted with respect to a normal development. This procedure provides access to a truth beyond this which existe. Man Ray uses this technique for photographing naked. It is a body that becomes unreal, fantasy becomes
Man Ray
Photomontage The logic of photomontage follows that of the unconscious, it allows the scenery. However photomontage is little used by the Surrealists photographers who prefer to have a unit in their drawings by overprinting. The photomontage is an advertising medium rather and communication as it is used to create postcards. In this field, Dali, Max Ernst and Paul Eluard who practice mail-art.
Max ERNST, Le rossignol chinois, 1920
Overprinting It puts in one place, two different mindsets. This is a combination of the same or opposite worlds. The nude is a theme that use this method, overprinting mutilates the body, fragmented.
Fossilizations Process which is made from a single negative that is moved slightly. This shift gives relief to photography, a depth that invites us to return in the image. Raoul Ubac this technical work from photographs of women.
Raoul Ubac, Sans titre, "PenthesilĂŠe", 1938
Collage - assembling different elements to create a whole
Cubomania - form of collage wherein an image is cut into squares and reassembled randomly. This technique was invented by Romanian Surrealist artist Gherasim Luca.
Gherasim Luca, “Cubomania�
Decalcomania - spreading thick paint on a canvas, and while still wet, covering it with paper or foil. This is removed again, while still wet, and the result of the pattern becomes the base of the finished painting.
Eclaboussure - the process of placing paints down and the water or turpentine is splattered. The painting is then soaked entirely, revealing random splats and dots once the media is removed.
Frottage - method of using the pencil rubbings over to a texture surface. Fumage - art technique which made use of impressions by smoke of a candle or lamp onto the blank canvas. Also called sfumato.
Grattage - the process of scraping paint off the canvas to reveal the imprint placed beneath The Surrealism discusses different techniques for shooting. The mirror is an important element of surrealism. The mirror symbolizes the step in a fantasy world.
Bellmer worked on the series of dolls since 1932. On the subject of femininity, there is a certain ambivalence: child-woman or seductive. He used the reflection to deconstruct the image .
Hans Bellmer, The Doll, 1932-45
LĂŠo Malet creates, from small mirrors erotic images, "narcissistic characters" . They are obtained by the duplication of a part of a body.. It is intended by these shocking images he built, in that he remains in the themes of surrealism who want revolutionaries.
AndrĂŠ Kertesz worked on the reflection of distorting mirrors .It was not surreal but what emanates images wants a surreal mind. The cult of the woman he pursues is very spooky.
André Kertész, Distorsion 4, Paris, 1933
This is a reciprocal relationship between content and container. The frame shows a fraction of reality. According surreal device which itself forms a first part allows automatic writing world.
Legacy : some examples of contemporary surrealist photographers The Surrealism art movement had a great impact in art, literature, culture and even extending to politics. Surrealism is a creative act of effort towards liberating the imagination. It is as dynamic as it is subtle; Surrealism is still alive and growing until today. Many artists around the world are influenced by Surrealism styles, ideas & techniques. Surrealism taught the world to see art not merely visually and literally; but to appreciate it in a subconscious level as well. Today, surrealism is a familiar form of art that continues to grow globally. It’s easy for artists to show their creativity through Surrealism, because the style provides them more freedom to convey their feelings and thoughts through the canvas. Surreal art can be dreamy or gritty; or it can be optimistic or depressing.
Julie de Waroquier Julie de Waroquier is a self-taught French photographer who started photography in 2008. Each of her photographs as either escaped from the imagination So she tries to probe the unconscious in what has more poetic: each photograph is seen as capturing a dream that would come true, and that the device would come to grasp. She questions the world by showing that our society refuses everything related story, lightness and dreams, and that is part of our reality She explores the invisible which is the mind and heart of man, fears, desires, passions. In 2014 , Dremalities� a short film created with the director and film-maker, Damien Steck offers an video adaptation of her photography book. (www.juliedewaroquier.com)
Leo Bugaev Russian Freelance artist, he’s graduate of Fine Arts away from the "formal" photography.His work is pure concept. Leo Bugaev's surrealistic photograph. He constructs his reality from a paradoxical combination of objects. He uses black-and-white color treatment for the vividness of a dream. This approach prepares to accept irrational information, and simultaneously establishes action far beyond the limits of the illustration. (http://www.leo-bugaev.com/)
Head
Wall with a Flute
When does the Museum Open
Alistair Magnaldo Alastair Magnaldo begins photography at the age of ten when he was captivated by the light made everything black and white prints. He has remained a luminous vision of photography that tries to reproduce in most of his compositions, the color used to reinforce an atmosphere. This is after further scientific studies in which he remained very attached to an experimental and creative approach, he decided in 2000 to invest the field of photography.
La dernière pluie
Les tâches solaires
Le zèbre
Tommy Ingberg Tommy Ingberg is a passionate Swedish photographer working primarily in black and white. He creates surrealistic montages .His artistic creativity strives for simple, scaled back compositions with few elements, where every part adds to the story. He leaves the viewer to so many places. He inspires by music , cinema , literature . His photographic influences are Cartier-Bresson, Leiboviz, Erwitt, Brassai. (www.ingberg.com)
Still Standing
Army
Dance
Kevin Corrado Graduate in Graphic Design , Connecticut-based photographer Kevin Corrado’s creates photo manipulations which like a dream capture. your attention. His pictures are amazing stories between lyricism and surrealism . He is the hero or the victim of his pictures. He is a illusionist playing with landscapes , atmospheres. (http://www.kevincorrado.com/)
Lost
Transfer Green.
God and the Individual Man
Jeffrey Harp He is an artist born in Dallas, Texas, in 1973, but would move to Missouri shortly after. Art fostered him from a young age. The exhibition of RenÊ Magritte was a turning point , in particular the work "The Unexpected Answer" what maked him see the mystery and simplicity of art that would mark his future. In 1975 as an apprentice of Deano Cook Phycho Tato , he spend eleven years (1995-2006) in the shop, where interest in photography became important. In 2001 he took pictures for Sir Elton John for a photographic exhibition called "Chorus of Light: Photographs from the Sir Elton John Collection" for the High Museum of Atlanta. A photographer in particular catches him , Adam Fuss. His inspiration led him to experiment with frames and finally with the "pinhole photography" while awakening his interest in antiques. All this eventually leads him to Digital Arts, a technology that allows him to create works of art that had never been able to express, leather, paper or canvas. In his Victorian Surrealism series , his pictures scary . Bought in a market , there’s something so haunting about them.
Pan, The Forgotten God, 2003
Soon-Young Lee She lives and works in Paris. The work of this young Korean artist take place in everyday places, interior patina. SoonYoung Lee reconstructs parts teeming imaginary houses for signs of life. Vegetation that grows under the artwork and photography is consuming. The lush grasses have nested in bed. This room, lounge neat, comfortable and delicate, is a society civilized Cartesian. Their surprising and strange cohabitation is also a metonymic way to represent the possibility of understanding between vegetable and human achievements, proof if need harmony between these two worlds can exist. In these places, there are no victims. The man is simply absent but multiple objects testify to its passage, shoes, books, family pictures. She built a game where light plays an important role, plunging us into a mysterious, enigmatic world, playful, ironic. Our perception of space is reviewed. (leesoonyoung.free.fr)
Jungle Room A
Big Fish
Chema Madoz Born in Madrid in 1958, is a Spanish photographer. The black and white is his favorite technique, its graphic expression to the borders of surrealism and allegory. Diverted by the marriage of objects, it sometimes creates a societal reflection, a poetic awakening or "staggered" look. (http://www.chemamadoz.com/)
Roberto Kusterle Roberto Kusterle was born in Gorizia in Italia . His interest in photography begins, focusing in a research of the human representation in connection with nature around it. The images of the themes tackled tell us about a unique time where separations between dreams, reality, Men and animal melt down and uprise into a form of tight cohabitation thus transforming vital energy into ethic tension. (www.robertokusterle.it)
SOURCES: Krauss, Rosalind E., and Jane Livingston L'Amour Fou: Photography & Surrealism. Exhibition catalogue.. New York: Abbeville, 1985. AndrĂŠ Breton. Manifeste du surrĂŠalisme, Gallimard 1998 http://www.bowdoin.edu/art-museum/exhibitions/2014/surrealist-photography.shtml http://www.cubadebate.cu/fotorreportajes/2014/04/22/fotografia-surrealista-donde-laimaginacion-no-tiene-limites/#.U8KY5_l_uSo http://www.fotonostra.com/biografias/fotosurrealista.htm http://deja.vu.free.fr/txt/sureel.pdf http://www.nopanda.com/photographie-surrealiste-s720571.htm http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/phsr/hd_phsr.htm http://www.emptykingdom.com/featured/roberto-kusterle/