I find it difficult to really talk about surrealist art... which I suppose has something to do with its aims. Surrealist art, with its strange dream-like images, sometimes seems like it would be incomprehensible to the viewer as separate from the artist. It is always difficult to imagine the vivid colors or eerie feeling someone describes in a personal dream; communication is a daunting enough task without adding in the subconscious and the thoughts and feelings we don't even understand about ourselves? But what better medium to picture the indescribable than art?
Though art and science are often thought of as polar opposites, they often work together and toward the same ends. Freud's revolutionary ideas on dream states and the unconscious led to a better global understanding of psychology and the self, and the spread of these ideas gives us fuel for discourse, common concepts that many people can understand and relate to, making communication through the images of the surrealists very effective. This common knowledge gives us the collective power to better understand in others what may otherwise be seen as personal and unreachable thoughts and feelings in others. The piece above The Metamorphosis of Narcissus by Salvador Dali can be dissected by its viewer because of its reference to the well known myth of Narcissus falling in love with his own reflection, as well as its use of Freudian symbols, along with the viewer's own perception and emotion brought forth by the painting's artistic qualities (muted colors, symmetry of forms etc.)
It is an amazing quality of our time to be able to look so deeply into the mind of another.
(I think the first piece above, Breakfast in fur by Meret Oppenheim, does an amazing job of communicating an otherwise indescribable feeling, imagine what it would feel like to drink from that cup...)
I think they use Oppenheim's cups at Starbucks! In regards to surrealism I would think that it is difficult for the viewer (generally) to understand the symbolism and meaning in surrealistic art. Sure, we can wildly speculate in a range from the crude to the educated depending on how we think and previous exposure to art, history, mythology and psychology. However, the art seems hidden and personal to a much higher degree that the art we explored in the previous section. Of course, it is often mesmerizing to peer into the expression of an artistic soul as you so amply put forward at the end of your blog. Great post Niki!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting viewpoint on the cup! I agree with you that surrealism can be somewhat daunting and almost off-putting. For me, I had such a difficult time trying to focus on any one aspect of a surrealist painting; there were so many strange things in the whole of the canvas that it gave me too much to think about! I suppose I would compare my experience with surrealist art to that of having a very vivid dream where all the images are jumbled together and I couldn't make sense of the combined picture. With surrealist art, as in my dreams, I learned that if I focus on the one thing that leaps out at me, and then slowly shift my gaze to the next more prominent item, and so on and so on, then I can encompass the whole painting. Takes a while, but I think I am just starting to get the hang of it! Regardless of how long it takes, I did appreciate the Dali and Oppenheim pictures you posted. :-)
ReplyDeleteA final thought. I wonder if blogs could be considered the 21st century equivalent to surrealist art? Meaning that they will seem as difficult to interpret and understand when compared with the well-composed and proper essays of the past. For what are blogs if not glimpses into others minds, sometimes without form or composition or even grammatical sense? Sort of like comparing a 19th century monograph to my too-long epistle here? Not that I'm saying my blog is anything near art, but isn't it too a personal glimpse that may be difficult for some readers to understand? Hmmmm ...
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteSo a blog would be a surrealistic mosaic of reality, dreams and impressions? I suspect our blogs would look peculiar to somebody outside of art12b, but perhaps not.... Keep blogging! :)
That is funny! I googled my name plus Art 12B and it came up with my blog, so it is a potential that someone could find our blogs. You're right, outside of this class I doubt anyone would find it interesting, unless perhaps they are studying art, or have some strange propensity for artistic-based musings. :-)
ReplyDeleteNiki...nice...yet interestingly enough ...Freud told Dali when they met later in life that Classical art was interesting in what it revealed about the unconscious, but surrealism was interesting in what it revealed about the conscious. To paraphrase, it seems Freud was saying that if you are consciously painting the unconscious, it can't be the conscious you are painting - or in more lucid verbage he basically said that Surrealist art -was too intellectually contrived...
ReplyDeletehhhmmmm...
hhhmmmmm....
correction..."it can't be the UNconscious you are painting "
ReplyDeleteI like to think our blogs are pretty artistic. :) Isn't it nice to be able to create something yourself and just throw it out there for people? (or for yourself) I actually find other people's art blogs all the time, especially when I am googling images. I usually can't help but read the blogs, which makes my image search sooo much longer! I have a sneaking suspicion that many of them are former students of one of Ms Reiss' art history classes.
ReplyDeleteAs for Freud, I personally think he was a little crazy... but crazy people have some of the best ideas. I think I would have to agree that Surrealist art seems to be trying too hard. Maybe that is why I could never get all that into it. It just seems to be shouting its strangeness in your face, abandoning the subtleties of classical art that make pieces so intriguing. But I suppose that is the point... a kind of break from reality. I think it is meant to be slightly off-putting and confusing. :/