Surrealism

[abraxas]

But, how is that surrealist?

'cause it fits.

European literary and artistic movement that uses illogical, dreamlike images and events to suggest the unconscious.

An art style developed in Europe in the 1920's, characterized by using the subconscious as a source of creativity to liberate pictorial subjects and ideas. Surrealist paintings often depict unexpected or irrational objects in an atmosphere of fantasy, creating a dreamlike scenario.
www.progressiveart.com/art_terms.htm

A movement in literature and the visual arts that developed in the mid 1920s and remained strong until the mid1940s, growing out of Dada and automatism. Based upon revealing the unconscious mind in dream images, the irrational, and the fantastic, Surrealism took two directions: representational and abstract. Dali's and Magritte's paintings, with their uses of impossible combinations of objects depicted in realistic detail, typify representational Surrealism. ...
www.clevelandartandhistory.org/HTMLPages/Glossary.html

A term that was coined in 1917, following the rise of Dadaism. Surrealism is a psychological approach to Dada art. It was specifically defined by Andre Breton in 1924 as "…thought dictated in the absence of all control exerted by reason, and outside all aesthetic or moral preoccupations. ...
art.abbottpages.com/glossary.html

Style using imagery from dreams and the subconscious, often distorting forms of ordinary objects or placing them in new contexts.
myrlejohnson.tripod.com/id12.html

A 20th century literary and artistic movement that attempts to express the workings of the subconscious by fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtaposition of subject matter; The principles, ideals, or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature, film, or theatre by means of unnatural juxtapositions and combinations
www.towson.edu/~sallen/COURSES/SURREAL/STUDENTS/MARINI/Glossary.html

An art movement of the 1920s that began in France. The artistic goals of the movement were to tap the subconscious as a source of creativity. The artists used juxtaposition of unexpected objects or themes, odd and vacillating view points, and distorted figures and objects to convey an atmosphere of fantasy or a dreamlike quality. During World War II, many of the movement's primary artists left France and came to New York City.
www.artsmia.org/art_in_america/glossary.html

a successor to Dadaism, the style or movement starting in the 1920's which was influenced by Freud's focus on dreams. Works in the Surrealist style often appear dreamlike, irrational and fantastical in their presentation. Some contributors include André Breton, Salvador Dali, and Joan Míro. View Surrealism art by Salvador Dali
www.worldimages.com/art_glossary.php

An art movement in which one's dreams, nightmares, subconsciousness and fantasy inspired the final works.
www.brigantine.atlnet.org/GigapaletteGALLERY/websites/ARTiculationFinal/MainPages/S-ZVocabulary.htm

is a philosophy, a cultural and artistic movement, and a term used to describe unexpected juxtapositions.
www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Surrealism

 

[TheLostPhotographer]

Ah! I see where you're coming from now. Although, I don't recognise the image you posted as an example of surrealist photography by the definitions cited.

Man Ray is widely recognised as one of the first Surrealist artists to use photography as a medium. He termed is 'non-camera' photography as Rayography back in the 1920's and 30's. [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dora Maar's "Portrait du Pere Ubu" is considered by most critics to be the ultimate definition of Surrealist photography of that time.

Personally, I don't see Surrealism as a movement that has come and gone. It was hugely influential across the board and is still practiced and being developed by artists today. As I said earlier, what appeals to me about Surrealism and photography is the way it can blur the boundaries about what is real and what isn't. What also appeals is that it is impossible to define Surrealism. There is no real measure to gauge.

The image you use as an example is just a messed up photograph to my eyes. Some may call it abstract.

Early practitioners of Surrealism usually produced images of fantasy totally lacking logic using almost photo-realistic painting techniques. Strange then that Man Ray decided to move away from the 'reality' of photography rather than manipulating 'real' photographic images to Surreal effect!


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[Rick Waldroup]

What do you guys think about these two photographers. Both are basically street shooters but they both incorporate surreal type imagery into some of their street shots. The results are really interesting. I don't know if this is a type of modern day surrealism or not.

I do know that I really like the work of both of these photographers.

http://www.leveckis.net/

http://www.pushingprimitives.com/

 

[TheLostPhotographer]

What do you guys think about these two photographers...

Very dark, very grim and very moody - both of them. Not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate them for what they are.

Isolating and manipulating a reality captured on film could be presented as Surrealism. I've seen hundreds of photographers using old Surrealist humour in contemporary street photography. I'm not a fan purely on the basis that it uses candid moments to catch people unawares and then presents the person as some sort of joke or, oddball. It's more prevalent in the UK with a leaning towards the English eccentric trait.

On the other hand, I've seen some great street photography that manages to capture a moment of reality staged as perfectly as theatre. A carefully choreographed accident amongst the random chaos of everyday life. Very surreal and quite unsettling.

 

[abraxas]

What do you guys think about these two photographers. Both are basically street shooters but they both incorporate surreal type imagery into some of their street shots. The results are really interesting. I don't know if this is a type of modern day surrealism or not.

I do know that I really like the work of both of these photographers.

http://www.leveckis.net/

http://www.pushingprimitives.com/

These are both really great. I'll comment more later, was just running through right now.

 

[just x joey]

i wish i culd take sureal photos. im not creative enough :'(

look at this dude's photography, defiantely surreal: http://www.markholthusen.com/portfolio.html

 

[Deimodius]

Here are a couple of "surreal" shots I created for a photography course. Both images were created using multiple photos blended together is PS.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deimodius/969504672/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deimodius/969503022/