Surrealism (from French surrealisme - supernaturalism) - a
modernistic direction in the art, appeared after the First World War
in France, during 1920s. Its founders considered surrealism as a way
to recognize subconscious, or supernatural. By definition of the
founder, and the ideologist of this direction Andrй
Breton the
surrealism is " the pure mental automatism, the purpose of which
is to express, either orally, or in writing, everyday ideas.
Surrealism is a dictation of ideas beyond any control of mind, beyond
any aesthetic or moral imaginations." (Ades 28) Artists weren’t
only creating new style in art and literature, but, first of all,
they were modifying the world and life. Surrealists were sure that
inconceivable was beginning to incarnate
the earth.
The formation of Surrealism takes its roots from Dadaism. The
impudent art arisen in conditions of horror and disappointment of the
artists before the major catastrophe – the European revolutions
(1916-1918). This event shattered Switzerland, Austria, France and
Germany. Dadaism basically rejected any positive aesthetic value, and
offered an “antiaesthetic” value for everything. For
Dadaists everything " reasonable, kind, eternal " had
failed, and the world appeared to be unfair, mean, and ugly. The
values of Dadaists were to destroy any style of beauty by means of
"ugliness". Revolt of Dadaist had somewhat settled in the
middle of 1920s. Dadaists mainly relied on “accidental effects”
as a main working tool. Artists began dripping paint on canvas, and
forming irrational configurations. The surrealistic attitude towards
inconceivable, or to the elements of
chaos is directly grown from Dadaistic roots. But surrealists trend
in art wasn’t simply to destroy, but create through
destruction. The bohemian anarchism of Dadaists had a strong affect
on Dali, and therefore he became a true follower of their scandalous
behavior. (Faerna, 32-40)
Surrealists hunted for unpredicted in order to free from the control
of the mind. (For example, they placed a sheet of a paper on rough
surfaces and rubbed a paper with dry paints, and received fantastic
configurations reminding of thickets of a fantastic wood.) But great
masters weren’t satisfied with such primitive methods of
painting. They had to achieve internal irrationality or mindless
state of mental life. For this purpose, forms of visual self-hypnosis
were practiced. They created "bewitching" forces by staring
at the movement of fire, or the movement of clouds, or etc.
Transition from "mechanical" perceptions to "psychological”
(or psychoanalytical) perception, gradually influenced all masters of
surrealism. (Descharnes, 8)
Surrealists assembled meetings or "trainings" which were
named as sommeils – or "dreams in reality ". They
played during these meetings. They were interested in accidental and
unconscious semantic combinations, which occurred during "bouts-rimes
(word game).” Each of them made a phrase, not knowing about the
words made by the other participants of the game. So, once they came
up with a phrase "The refined corpse will drink a fine wine "
was invented. The purpose of this game was to train to free your
consciousness and logic. By doing so they were able to gain chaotic
forces from the chasms of subconscious. By this way, ideas of
surrealism had really turned into an explosive: destroying everything
on its way, shattering any truth or a principle based on a reason,
belief, virtue, or ideal beauty. It destroyed beauty that was viewed
by radical innovators as art. They viewed life as a synonym of
deceit, and lifelessness. Many surrealists did not focus much on
techniques of painting, they were interested in the outcome of the
painting. The burst of nihilism was formed among young artists
during those times. Not having faith in anything, they also drew this
“ANYTHING."
Dali’s surrealism, doesn’t present any politics, an
intimate life, an aesthetic beauty, a history, or anything else. In
his art there is only a Surrealistic Creativity, which transforms
everything into something new as it contacts it. Dali painted about
everything that was essential for the person of that time. The themes
of his painting varied from sexual revolution to preparation of meal.
Some of other themes of his paintings were civil war, nuclear
explosions, Nazism, Catholic beliefs, science, or classical art. For
sane people, Dali’s art was something inconceivable and
shocking. Somehow he even built a so-called “surrealistic
object,” which was absolutely not suitable for actual use. This
was his embodiment of his obsessive ideas, and manias. This object
was called “the astral chair.” The chair’s leather
coating was replaced by chocolate coating, a door handle was screwed
on one leg, and other leg stood on a mug with beer. Surely such a
chair would simply collapse by the impact of a door swing, spilling
the beer all over the floor, and causing an alarm and confusion for
the people around it.
Dali alienated himself from his colleagues. Therefore they turned
against Dali. His friends started denying Dali’s art. Andrй
Breton after another disagreement with the artist, made an anagram of
letters of his name “Avida Dollars – Dollar Thirsty.”
He hinted that all that Dali created, had an advertising character,
and are directed strictly at making money, and that art itself had no
value for him.
Dali sometimes proclaimed to be the only unique surrealist. And at
the same time he said that, "Painting is the color photo made by
a brush ". But it’s useless to blame Dali for
inconsistency, because irrationality – was his value and
element of thinking and painting. This method was the true
description of Dali’s style both in life, and in art. Dali has
literally treated all those ideas, principles, values, and people
with whom he associated with impudently, and disrespectfully. He
implemented the ideas of surrealism to the extent. Dali is dangerous
to the silent human nature; he is dangerous for humans’
"well-being" because he discredits senses and values of
human culture. He discredits both religion and godlessness, both
Nazism and antifascism, both admirations of art, and avant-guard
revolt against them, both belief in the humanity and disbelief in it.
Dali searched for new decisions, and forms of art starting from his
childhood. Once, he painted a still life painting with only three
colors on an old worn-out door. He used the door instead of canvas.
It surprised him that this still-life painting amazed his friends and
relatives. It was the image of a handful of the berries put under the
sun. Then someone from spectators had noticed, that at cherries were
missing tails. The young artist had forgotten to paint them. He
quickly ate the berries that he was drawing earlier, and attached the
real tails to the still-life painting. He pulls out the woodworms of
old door, and attached them to berries, and he created painting with
live woodworms and real berry tails. At seeing this, the spectators
were overwhelmed.
Having entered the School of fine Arts in Madrid, Dali hoped to find
worthy teachers. He hoped to find someone who could teach him the
sacred craft of drawing, but he very soon got disappointed. He
publicly declared that he didn’t want to be tested by those
teachers who "knew almost nothing, and incapable of anything.”
Therefore he got expelled from the art school. He admired the great
masters of Italian Renaissance. He explained how his surrealistic
creativity began. He wrote, "The inevitable happened -here comes
Dali. The core surrealist, moved by "will and authority."
He proclaimed unlimited freedom from any aesthetic or moral
compulsions, and declared that it is possible to go up to the extreme
limits of any artistic experiments, as long as you don’t care
about any consequence. (Gibson, 6-9)
All this wasn’t only his private affair; it was the purpose of
surrealism. Dali truly was the surrealist to the core. Everything he
touched or spoke about turned into surrealistic images. Dali in his
life mainly focused on his surrealistic "ego.”
The
artist has created some sort of "password" that led to the
secrets of his creativity and personality. His masterpieces and
graphic works are constructed like texts. In his works, he presents
the history of World’s culture as a series of metaphors. And
same kinds of citations are applicable to his masters of the past. In
his painting "Spain", we see the resemblance to Leonardo da
Vinci’s drawings. And in his portraits and still-life drawings
we can relate to Italian painter of XVI century Arcimboldi Giuseppe.
(Descharnes, 27)
Dali
perfectly managed to change the format of an art on an easel
painting. The extended horizontal canvas are full of narration, that
contain consecutive display of metamorphosis ("Metamorphosis of
Narcissus." Oil on canvas, 20 1/8x30 3/8 inches, 1937)
The vertical stretched canvas changes the dynamics of the picture,
adding solemnity to it Dali thought that horizon in the paintings
were very essential.” The low horizon gives an image some sort
of theatrical look (for example, "The Sacrament of the Last
Super.” Oil on canvas, 65 5/8x105 Ѕ inches, 1955)
In his compositions with high horizon, the features close to the
folklore beginning are seen. The images have ornamental - symbolical
character. The artist loved big canvases. His wide canvases are
similar to those of medieval masters. The main value of works of Dali
consists of creation of magnificent picturesque and graphic images.
The artist presents himself in his paintings, as the refined
colorist, brilliant painter, master of complexity, and yet
architectonically conceivable painter (Ades, 17). Those paintings, in
which Dali transforms the sign into artistic images, are authentic
masterpieces of paintings and graphics. The tragic gift of Salvador
Dali has found its bright reflection in his one of the most famous
painting called " Soft construction with boiled beans –
Premonition of Civil War." (Oil on canvas, 29 5/16x39 3/8
inches, 1936)
The
background of the painting is covered with cloudy sky. There is an
inconceivable figure that has human body parts, and the face that is
in total agony. The hand is holding the breast that doesn’t
have a body, it has a head, and a neck with inflated veins, and from
there onward comes a leg that is standing on the other part of human
body that stretches out diagonally. And in the middle of this
diagonally stretched body part, there is a small locker – a
design that Dali frequently presented in his paintings as an illusion
of stability of ordinary life. There are beans all over the ground,
and an ordinary man, near this figure looking down to the ground. The
horizon is given low in this picture, covering only small part of the
ground. The picture has an enormous anti-war pathos. It has a very
expressive message in its composition, contrast color combinations,
and a linear composition.
The unusual gift of Salvador Dali, his overwhelming creativity makes
him a genius of his age. His art presents the humanistic symbol of
his century. Surrealism is not an artistic movement; it is an
artistic thinking of how to interact with world. When one journalist
asked Salvador Dali “what the surrealism was, Dali answered
that Surrealism is Dali himself, and he had a full right to say so.
Works
Cited
Ades,
Dawn. Dali’s optical Illusion. Wadworth Athenaeum Museum
of Art in association with Yale University Pres Ney Haven and London,
1999.
Descharnes,
Robert. Dali. Harry N. Abrams Publishers, New York 2000
Faerna,
Jose Maria, ed. Dali. Trans.
Teresa Waldes. Harry n. Abrams, Inc., Publishers 2000.
Gibson,
Ian. The Shameful life of Salvador Dali. W. W. Norton &
Company:
New
York, 1998.
9
Другие работы по теме:
Сюрреализм
Сюрреализм (Surrealism), модернистское (модернизм) направление в литературе, изобразительном искусстве и кино, зародившееся во Франции в 1920-х гг. И оказавшее большое влияние на западную культуру.
Сакристан, Мануэль
Мануэль Сакристан Лусон (исп. Manuel Sacristбn Luzуn, 5 сентября 1925, Мадрид — 27 августа 1985, Барселона) — испанский философ-марксист, переводчик и общественно-политический деятель. Профессор Барселонского университета. Кроме множества других переводов, Мануэль Сакристан сделал доступными испанским читателям «Капитал» Карла Маркса, работы Антонио Грамши, Дьёрдя Лукача, Эрнста Фишера, Герберта Маркузе, Ульрики Майнхоф и др.
Salvador Essay Research Paper As a young
Salvador Essay, Research Paper As a young man, Dali attended the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid. Early recognition of Dali’s talent came with his first one-man
Living In Dreams The Story Of El
Salvador Dali Essay, Research Paper Living in Dreams, the Story of El Salvador Dali El Salvador Dali was a painter of dreams, making them vibrantly real and true to life. Dali’s art will forever be the epitome of surrealist painting. He even said himself, “Le Surrealisme c’est moi!” (Surrealism it’s me!) (Bogehold, 182).
Salvador Dali And MC Escher Essay Research
Paper The artists that I am comparing in my paper come from two different backgrounds, yet in some ways, the deep psychological and philosophical message that their works reflect, together with their shared fascination with the insect-world, bring them together.
Obstacles Immigrants Face(Using The Book Lupita Ma
Essay, Research Paper Run!Run! Run! La migra is coming! Immigrants especially illegal immigrants like Lupita and Salvador, face many obstacles in adjusting to life in the United States. Some obstacles they face are being taken advantage of. Also, being poor in Mexico just carried over here. “Ice cream sundae? What is that? Asked Lupita who had never heard these words before 75 cents!?! So much! Lupita shook her head in dismay.
Great Essay Research Paper Undesirable want reveals
Great Essay, Research Paper Undesirable want reveals indignant force for those who help others. As many helped in the El Salvador incident, they illustrated their want, their need to not only save their own, but
Salvador Dali 2 Essay Research Paper
” I do not take drugs…I am drugs. This statement was made by the great Spanish painter and member of the surrealist movement Salvador Dali. Dali referred to his works as “hand-painted dream photographs,” and claimed that his imagery often came directly from his own dreams. Although there is no documented evidence that he did experiment with hallucinogenic drugs, his paintings reflect a sort of false reality, showing commonplace objects in strange forms.
Salvador Dali Essay Research Paper From the
Salvador Dali Essay, Research Paper From the real to the surreal, Salvador Dali embodied it all. Once he was satisfied with his abilities to mimic what he saw in the world, he began to play with objects and space. He comprehended, perfected, and finally transcended realism, and his works became much more than paint on canvas.
Salvador Dali Influences Essay Research Paper
Salvador Dali: Influences Perhaps one of the world’s greatest artists is the hispanic artist Salvador Dali. He won many awards and became very successful in his work as an artist. Mr. Dali even has his own art
The Absorption Of Dada Essay Research Paper
Dada and Surrealism are two similar forms of art, not in appearance, but in the subject matter, and the role of the viewer. The Quote ”Dada became absorbed into Surrealism which then became the Dadaism of the successful.” is a statement of truth.
Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dali Essay Research Paper
Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dali was born on May 11th, 1904. The palace of birth was a small town about an hour drive from Barcelona called Figueres. His Father was a prosperous notary, who also supplied his family with a summer home Cadaques. This summer home was also the place for Dali s first studio which his parents arranged for him.
Slavador Felipe Jacinto Dali Essay Research Paper
Slavador Felipe Jacinto Dali I Domenech was born on May 11, 1904 in the small farming town of Figueres in the Catalonian region of Spain. It was here in the foothills of the Pyrenees where Dali spent his youth, that many of the ideas, inspirations, and images repeated in his paintings have their roots. As a young boy Dali attended the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid.
Art And Religion Essay Research Paper Japanese
Art And Religion Essay, Research Paper Japanese sculptures served as fertility figures, but sexual characteristics are usually absent. Japanese sculptures create a sense of life and movement. They are usually of someone in a meditative position. Buddhism is a strong factor throughout Japanese art. The portrayals of Buddha in different forms as well as Bodhisattvas are also a part of Japanese art.
Dali Museum Visit Essay Research Paper Dali
Dali Museum Visit Essay, Research Paper Dali is an outstanding figure in art history, therefore I am greatly affected by numerous critiques of his works. It was hard to throw away read material and to look at his work with a ‘fresh eye’.
Surrealism Essay Research Paper SurrealismAs World War
Surrealism Essay, Research Paper Surrealism As World War I came to an end, the Dada movement evolved into a new movement called Surrealism. This medium of art created a palette of purity and hope though automatism and use of dreams. The Surrealists strove for simplicity and spontaneity or as some called it, automatism.
Dali Essay Research Paper DALISalvador Dali was
Dali Essay, Research Paper DALI Salvador Dali was born on May 11, 1904. He was a leader in the new movement of art in the early 20th century called Surrealism. In 1921 Dali studied at the San Fernando Acadamy of Fine Arts in Madrid. Here he was able to associate and learn from such Spanish modernists as Fedrico Garcia Lorca, and Luis Bundel.
Salvadore Dali Essay Research Paper Salvador DaliSalvador
Salvadore Dali Essay, Research Paper Salvador Dali Salvador Dali was born on May 11th, 1904, at 8:45 AM at 20 Montreal in Figures, Spain. His Mother loved birds. You may see some of them in his paintings. Nine months before Salvador was born, his brother, Salvador died. Salvador?s parents named him after his brother.
Why Do The Works Of Salvador Dali
Hold Such An Appeal For Teenagers Essay, Research Paper Calvyn Evans ART: Personal Study Draft 1 Salvador Dali Salvador Dali was born in 1904 and passed away in 1989. He had been what the critics call an eccentric genius, a self proclaimed madman, and had lived a life of fame and fortune, mingling with the zenith of society and living what is popularly known as the high life.
Salvador Dali Essay Research Paper 19041989Salvador Dali
Salvador Dali Essay, Research Paper (1904-1989)Salvador Dali was born into a middle-class family on May 11th, 1904 in Figures Spain. In 1921 he entered the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid where he made friends with Federico Garcia Lorca, Luis Bunuel, and Eugenio Montes. He pursued his personal intersest in Cubism and Futurism.
Salvador Dali Essay Research Paper Genius or
Salvador Dali Essay, Research Paper Genius or madman? Salvador Dali has been referred to as both throughout the course of his seventy-eight-year career. One who has seen any of his artwork will uncertainly question the sanity of Salvador Dali. Dali is best known for his surrealist works and many consider him the most brilliant Surrealist of his time.
El Salvador Essay Research Paper About the
El Salvador Essay, Research Paper About the size of Massachusetts, El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America and most densely populated of the Central American countries. El Salvador, the smallest Central American nation, is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the north and east by Honduras and to the south by the Pacific Ocean.
On Salvador Dali Essay Research Paper Salvador
On Salvador Dali Essay, Research Paper Salvador Dali, was born Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dali i Domenech at 8:45 a.m., Monday, 11 May 1904, in the small town, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, of Figueres, Spain,
Salvador Dali Essay Research Paper Salvador DaliDali
Salvador Dali Essay, Research Paper Salvador Dali Dali s work is permeated by events that shaped his life even before his birth in 1904 in Figueras, Spain. His name, Salvador, had first been given to a brother who died a few years earlier at a young age. Perhaps because of that death, his parents lavished upon him an excessive love that fostered his egocentric and flamboyant personality.
Surrealism Essay Research Paper Surrealism
Surrealism Essay, Research Paper Surrealism “Surrealism was a means of reuniting conscious and unconscious realms of experience so completely that the world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in an absolute reality, a surreality.”
Dada Vs Surrealism Essay Research Paper What
Dada Vs. Surrealism Essay, Research Paper What elements of dada and surrealism suggest the influence of Freud? The 20th Century marked a changed in how people viewed the known world. Since its beginning art has played a major role in how people were able to express themselves. The early 20th century brought rise to new and exciting art forms.
Surrealistic Art Essay Research Paper The modern
Surrealistic Art Essay, Research Paper The modern world has become filled with brilliant designs of art, which are now very influential to viewers of every age. Today s television programs are filled with elaborate special effects and designs that create a sense of wonder as they are seen. Diverse artwork has been present in the world for hundreds of years but was never fully appreciated for the beauty that they beheld.
Art And Mind Essay Research Paper The
Art And Mind Essay, Research Paper The human mind is a very powerful tool and organ. There are however imperfections in the way it processes things. Illusions for
Surrealism Essay Research Paper In 1924 a
Surrealism Essay, Research Paper In 1924 a French poet and critic Andre Breton published “The Surrealist Manifesto,” which lead as a starter to the surrealist movement. Nicolas Pioch, a famous art historian, maintains that “the surrealist movement represented a reaction against what its members saw as the destruction wrought by the rationalism that had guided European culture and politics in the past and that had culminated in the horrors of World War I.
Leda Atomica Essay Research Paper Leda Atomica
Leda Atomica Essay, Research Paper Leda Atomica (24 x 18″- oil on canvas), is a painting by Salvador Dali (1904-1989) who was the top Surrealists of this time. Surrealism explored the subconscious, the dream world, and irrational elements of the psyche in the firm belief that the discoveries to be made from such exploration would be of greater fundamental importance to the human condition than any other form of social analysis.
International Buisness Essay Research Paper Surrealism Naturalism
International Buisness Essay, Research Paper Surrealism, Naturalism, and Expressionism Three defining characteristics of the movies of the 60 s that we have observed are surrealism, naturalism, and expressionism. Surrealism is 20th century literary and artistic movement that attempts to express the lookings of the subconscience by fantistic imagery and incongruous juxtaposition of subject matter.
Comparison Of Kafka
’s “Metamorphosis” And Dali’s “The Metamorphosis Of Narcissus” Essay, Research Paper Comparison of Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” and Dali’s “The Metamorphosis of Narcissus”
Commercial Art And Design Essay Research Paper
The contemporary commercial art and design of today has no doubt been created through the heavy influences of 20th century art. Most corporations who advertise on a large scale look back to the most influential art of the past century when creating their ads. It’s almost impossible to walk the city streets without being bombarded by billboards with crafty designs and catchy phrases.