Surrealism Contact Sheet

took a few photos, but also used ones from other assignments. :)

Rene Magritte

1.     What is surrealism?

• Juxtaposing unrelated objects, placing them side by side. They seemed both real and unreal. (surreal)

2.     What motif did Magritte use in many of his works? Why was this significant?

• The man wearing wearing a bowler hat. He used it in 21 paintings and it was a self-portrait.

3.     In his work Golconda, why is it important that Magritte varied the image of the man in the bowler hat?  How does it add depth to the work?

• He used repetition, painting the man dozens of times, arranging them in layers of varied scale. The smaller men in the background and the larger men in the foreground, making them seem closer the the viewer. Without the variation in scale the painting would be very boring.

4.     Why did surreal artists choose to create strange worlds with their art?

• They found that juxtaposing ordinary but unrelated objects could be as disorienting and powerful as waking up from a strange dream.

5.     Explain how the techniques of juxtaposition, altered scale, and language help Magritte explore Surrealism.

• 
  

6.     What would be a few reasons why Magritte would cover the faces of his subjects?

•  Tragic accident when he was 12: his mother drowned herself, and when she was pulled from the water her nightgown covered her face. (He denied that being the reason)

7.     Why did Magritte strive for realism & precision in his paintings?

• He believed realism allows viewers to focus on the subject of a work instead of the technique used to paint it.

8.     Google more of Magritte’s work and include 2 images that interest you.

 Explain the technique(s) used to enhance the work

• 
  

Perception vs. Reality (Inward vs. Outward)

INWARD:

• Outgoing
• Loving
• Loud
• Happy
• Funny
• I present myself as someone who is open and talk-a-tive.
• Look positive.

OUTWARD:

• Struggle with Anxiety
• Worried about what others think of me
• Southern girl at heart
• Love the outdoors
• I love Art and music(collect VINYL)
• I love to play volleyball
• I could present this by maybe smiling with my face covered. Or be facing the camera and have by eyes looking around. Look happy yet some what anxious.

Examples of poses:

Examples of Surrealism

Dada Finals

Cut/Cope/Rearrange:

Color Blocks:

Text(B&W):

Halftone Screen:

I enjoyed this project, but I like having direction, and being told what I'm working, on rather than being given 4 things and making it my own. I thought it was a fun unit and i like the way it turned out, but I like natural photo's best.

Dada Studio Experimentation

MoMA and Dada

World War I and Dada

What is Dada and why did it come into existence?

• Dada is basically an anti-art made into an art. It started in WWI because of corruption and brutality of the war. 

 Marcel Duchamp and the Readymade

 Discuss Duchamp’s notion of “Readymades”.  What are they?

• Mass-produced, commercially available, often utilitarian objects, designating them as art and giving them titles.

 How do they change your expectations about what art can be?

• It makes me realize art can be ANYTHING, not just a painting or a drawing or a sculpture, but anything that was designed/ created and has meaning.

Include a visual of Duchamp’s work

Chance Creations: Collage, Photomontage, and Assemblage

Dada artists turned to non-art making strategies…

What did they embrace?

• Chance, accident and improvisation.

Why did they take this approach?

• They wanted to rebel against normal standards.

Include a visual example

• 
  

Artist Collaboration

What is the value of art made by Dadaists?

•  The value in art is in making incomplete work rather than a finished piece.

Word Play
How and why did Dada artists work with words?

• The idea of words was the language being destroyed like the words in society.

Include a visual example

•