Surrealism was a powerful invention, which proved to be useful not only in painting but also in photography (above), music, film and novels. The problem with the technique is that it's usually considered to be beyond criticism. A lot of bad surrealism ( I don't mean the photo above), gets by because no one knows how to logically criticize something that's supposed to be beyond logic. I say "supposed to be," because it seems to me that the best surrealism does mean something on some level.
Take Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" (above), for example. I don't see anything having to do with memory in the picture, but I do see a world where time has been slowed down and been rendered meaningless. The dead tree, arid plain, and stagnant ocean tell us that such a world would be a bleak sort of Hell where nothing interesting or significant ever happens. It's like the Earth would be if it survived to see the energy-deprived, heat death of the universe. It's a useful metaphor when you're vegetating in a waiting room or looking back on a life of quiet desperation.
But not every kind of surrealism has meaning. The picture above is simply a collection of random images placed on a bleak, Daliesque-type plain. It heightens our awareness of how weird the world is, but not much else. The artist didn't have an idea to communicate.
Here (above) the artist is communicating, though what he's saying is open to interpretation. For me it says The dynamic world of heavy industry is present in some sense, even in a quiet and sedate room like the one above. It's a reminder that worlds can intersect, that dual realities can exist, that one world can suddenly and violently impose itself on another.
Here's (above) another one where the artist has nothing to say. He attempts to remind us that man is capable of mathematical and abstract thought, but says we don't produce anything worth hearing about. The message is anesthetizing rather than interesting. This is the kind of arid, humorless surrealism you used to see on newspaper editorial pages.
More meaningless surrealism (above). The images exist because the artist was free-associating and didn't know what else to say.
Back to meaning again. This is Dali's "Daddy Longlegs" picture (above) where the artist posits a world of absurdity. Far from being arid and stagnate, this one posits frantic but meaningless activity. It's all about futility; beautiful, marvelous futility. Once again, it's a great metaphor.
This (above) is one of the worst surrealist pictures I've ever seen. It has no meaning whatsoever. Even surrealist pictures have to have meaning.
I don't mean to say that surrealism always has to contain serious messages. Some of my favorite examples are in ads that are just plain funny, like the parody of Dali above. Dali's bleak view of the world was always deliberately undermined by his sense of humor and drama. He seems to refute his own notion of absurdity by putting us in the judge's stand where we can laugh at the meaninglessness of it all.
My favorite kind of surrealism is the kind (above) that makes fun of surrealism. Surreal commercials that sell things like peas and stockings are hilarious. They seem to say, "The world is meaningless, and you may as well commit suicide, but while you're meditating on that, how about a nice, cold glass of Schlitz beer?"
Dali's imagery is so funny that it's hard to resist parodying it, as Volkswagen did here (above). It's a very skilled picture, which isn't surprising because you have to have skill in order to joke about Dali. That's because his own pictures are so obviously the product of old master technique and funny, high-fashion sophistication. His message is a dual one: The world is both meaningless and full of meaning. Striving is ultimately meaningless but strive we must, because we are striving creatures who cannot be happy unless we are constantly trying to improve ourselves.
30 comments:
If you're looking for more examples of stinky surrealism, google "Hipgnosis."
Really thought-provoking! Not much to say yet, I`m just thinking about the possibilities. I have never looked really deeply at surrealism. And you did it again with the point about bad vs. good one. You`re just too good at defining such things!
Here are two of my favorites, both by Jacek Malczewski.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Malczewski_melancholia.jpg
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/8240/malczewskidn3.jpg
The themes are clear, but what I like is how these both use huge swarms of people to make the composition.
I must be shallow! Pic #4 to me says that he had stayed overnight in an expensive hotel close to the railway and the trains had driven him crazy.
And don't forget surrealism in cartoons. It seems that alot of times cartoons tries to be a weird as possible, hoping the audience will find it funny. Some do, but often times it serves little purpose and not funny.
Not that surrealism in cartoons is a bad thing. Shows like (the original) "Ren & Stimpy", "Rocko's Modern Life", "Chowder" and "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack" have surreal elements that either contributes to the story or is at least funny. But in shows like "Aqua Teen" or, really, most Adult Swim shows, the surrealism fails and is just there for the sake of it.
And of course I can't end this comment without mentioning the ultimate surreal cartoon, "Porky in Wackyland".
"Oracle of the Innocent" may just mean you like upskirts, Eddie. ;D
The Magritte's meaning might be "Is that a train in your fireplace or are you just happy to see me?"
David: Thanks for the idea. I saw some record covers I hadn't seen in ages.
Oscar: I saw the first picture where the swarm of people emerge from the canvas, but i got an error message on the second. Very interesting!
Paranoid: Thanks! It's fun to focus on things you take for granted, take them seriously, and ask yourself what you really think about them.
This was fun to read, thanks!
I used to really like making surrealistic pictures when I was younger, but as I got older it seemed like a waste of time. It's great for classroom doodling.
See here! Haha I was 11!
And again more pointlessness...
Gotta love the work of Dali. I bought a couple of art books of his work. Beautiful surreal work.
Youre right about surrealism having to make sense on some level. Its like the difference between a "cubist" painting by Picasso and when an amateur draws a "cubist" picture.
I used to have the stumbleupon toolbar and most of the art sites I got were generic surrealism. Giraffes in hot air baloons floating through an upsidedown palace etc. etc.
An interesting post, but I love all of Dali's stuff. Don't you like his sets in Spellbound?
I like a lot of Hipgnosis' album covers in a kitschy sort of way.
"stinky"?
What's bad about what Hipgnosis's output? They produced some of the cleverest commercial surrealist and ironic images of the 20th Century media. Most people associate the outfit with the record album art they produced. The only stinky thing about their success is that they inspired an awful lot of terrible imitators.
I enjoyed that - especially the comment on the failings of newspaper editorial pages. (Here is a piece of newspaper surrealism of mine from some years ago.)
Do you like Remedios Varo?
I think another thing that makes a good surrealist painting is the internal logic of the image. The objects in the image should obey some physical laws even if they aren't exactly like the ones that we experience.
There are physical forces that are acting on the objects in the Dali paintings and that's important in making it feel like we are looking at another world. I think that's why Dali liked crutches and water droplets so much. They are reminders that gravity exists in the alternate universe he's created. It makes the surreal seem more real.
It's strange how you seem to get it so well. I don't understand Dali at all, but I recognize him easily. Maybe I should try to understand it more, I'm already starting to see things from them.
Whether surrealism is good or not depends on the sensibility of the surrealist. Im interested in Salvador Dalis subconconcious.
Id love to hear a surreal monologue by someone like Peter Cook but can't stand the "thats so random!" style of surrealism you find on youtube "Whilst discussing sculpture with a walrus a monkeypirate stole my cheese grater just as the moon exploded"
I agree with you in some ways but on the other hand I feel that there is a place for meaninglessness in painting. Often when I look at a group of objects in a painting I simply want to enjoy the beauty and asthetic of the composition without such a specific phylosophical theme looming over it to muck up the mood. It's always important for an artist to have something to say in a work but I think it's equally important for an artist to know when to shut the hell up.
I only like surrealism when it's funny. Surreal poetry, for example:
I seriously feel the need to admire the letter "L"
Nice hat, thanks.
Expressive sandwich.
I think the fifth one down was a surrealists take on "Hear No Evil, See No Evil & Speak No Evil".
for my "drawing II" class at community college, we got to draw a surreal landscape, using photo reference. Here's what I came up with (contains naked breasts):
Untitled
it does have a meaning, which I think is pretty obvious.
Cool images! (links too!)
When the artist consciously manipulates the imagery, it's like the opposite of surrealism. Instead of bringing subconscious vision into consciousness, it's pressing a conscious message against the subconscious.
I think that third one down is a parody of a Dali rather than a good example of bad surrealism. It's an editorial painting making a joke about American Industry and Economics or sometihng like that.
Dali's a cunt.
Bravo Eddie, one of my favorite posts of yours! Not only is this one of my favorite topics, but you present it in a very thought-provoking way.
Wasn't Clampett into Dali?
What do you think of M.C. Escher?
Craig might have a point there...
Anyways, interesting as always, Uncle Eddie!
Then there is the seldom mentioned Yves Tanguy. He didn't have as much to say as Magritte or Dali and although they all repeated themselves, Tanguy is the most repetitive.
I wish I had any of these:
http://www.artsconnected.org/artsnetmn/students/slimey/images/tangy01d.jpg
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/tanguy/tanguy.indef-divisibility.jpg
http://www.thecityreview.com/s01ctang.gif
http://www.rudyrucker.com/blog/images/tanguy0.jpg
Kali: Holy Cow! That's a pretty elaborate classroom doodle!
Kellie, Kelly: We've all done this sort of thing, God forgive us!
IDRC: Interesting pictures. I'd forgotten about that artist. You're right, his best work is pretty good.
Patrick: I'm not an Escher fan myself, but I can see he's good. Scientists and mathematicians like him.
Great article. What other surrealists do you like besides Dali?
http://www.surrealist.com/what_is_surrealism.aspx
This is a good explanation of what surrealism is. A lot of your examples don't qualify as surrealism because they are commercial in nature, which means a lot of conscious thought went into them, rather than subconscious. I'm not refuting the existence of bad surrealism, or claiming that it is beyond criticism. But I would suggest that what makes surrealism good or bad should not be determined by assessing whether or not it has a message or metaphor.
"This (above) is one of the worst surrealist pictures I've ever seen. It has no meaning whatsoever. Even surrealist pictures have to have meaning."
Such ridiculous hipster twaddle.
You repeat yourself endlessly on the meaninglessness of it all, then complain about something meaningless.
Watermelon is meaningless. It's still good.
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