Surrealism Photoshoot Evaluation

Surrealism Photoshoot

In my photoshoot I used a plain white background, I did this to emphasize the detail of both my objects. The objects I made are very uncanny: very strange and familiar at the same time and is inspired by Meret Oppenheim's hairy cup and saucer, due to the fact that the glasses are rendered useless with the pins. The camera i used was set up as ISO 400 and altered exposure compensation to get a light background. 

Compared to Oppenhiem's piece, my sunglasses are adapted to a more modern audience, as noone really uses a cup and saucer anymore. I tried to convey a repulsive feeling towards my items.I used surrealist tactics, which include, found objects and the uncanny. It was hard to get the hair in the right position on the brush, however,  I used masking tape to secure it. 

I didn't have to adapt my idea. I think my images relate to my research as it has the same tactics and looks like a surrealist object, quite clearly. I referenced Meret Oppenheim's cup and saucer. 

My most successful was the glasses as I thought it looked the most surrealist and had the better meaning. 

Surrealism Photoshoot Plan

I plan to use sunglasses and stick pins to the inside, rendering them useless. This is very uncanny and would link clearly to surrealism. I also plan to use hair extensions and a brush to create a 'hair brush', however, this is uncanny as it isn't specifically a hair brush it is a paint brush with extra hair, so this feels strange to the viewer as it isn't what it seems. I need to collect pins, sunglasses, hair extensions and a paint brush to complete these pieces. 

Surrealism Artist Research 2

Artist Research

Salvador Dali - 1936

Content:

I would describe this piece as abstract and uncanny. The sculpture is of a ‘Lobster Telephone’. The sculpture is imagined, as it isn’t a common object in everyday life. I think Dali has tried to achieve something unique and abnormal in this sculpture. This piece is very exaggerated, as it isn’t of objects you would put together. This gives the effect that the sculpture comes across as uncanny and abnormal in society.

Formal Elements:

Dali has composed this piece to make it look normal, with the lobster taking the place of the actual phone part of the telephone. This exaggerates the surrealism as it makes it feel familiar however it isn’t.  The piece has been arranged specifically, so that the lobster takes the place of the phone, however it still looks like a telephone with the bottom and cord attached. The colours are very contrasted, creating a build-up of contrasts. The bright orange colour of the lobster tends to dominate, as it is so bright that it draws attention mostly to the lobster. There are different textures in the sculpture, this can be seen in the shiny material of the telephone and the duller lobster, and also the ridges in the lobster’s tail.

Process:

Dali’s sculpture was made using various materials, such as steel, plaster, rubber, resin and paper. To make this piece Dali sculpted a lobster and painted in the textures and colours, he then would have attached it to the telephone cord and placed it onto the telephone. This piece would have been evolved slowly over time, as it would’ve taken a while to build up the lobster and paint with detail and accuracy.

Mood / Meaning:

The sculpture is supposed to have sexual connotations as fresh seafood was photographed by Horst P. Horst and George Platt Lynes on live nude models. A lobster was used by the artist to cover the female sexual organs of his models. Dali also used to often draw close analogy between food and sex.

Surrealism Tests

All the above images I have taken are surrealisim themed. This is clearly shown by the use of the uncanny and found objects. With the glasses for example, having the pins on the inside of the lenses render them useless and without purpose. My favourite image would have to be the glasses with pins covering the lenses, because it is the most uncanny and different. I had problems with sticking on the pins, so to solve this, I covered the lenses in Vaseline and the pins then stuck to it. My worst image would be the second image, as there is clearly a table in the background and the angle isn't sufficient. 

Surrealism Artist Research 1

Artist Research

Meret Oppenheim - 1936 

Content:

I would describe this piece as strange and unusual, as it abnormal to have a furry cup and saucer. The subject is imagined, as it isn’t common to have fur on these items as it renders them useless. I think Oppenheim has worked from the psychologists’ idea of ‘the uncanny’ and tried to achieve something against what is natural / the norm. Aspects of this sculpture are very clearly exaggerated, which give a very uneasy and peculiar look to it.

Formal Elements:

The artist has composed this sculpture in a way that makes the audience feel strange, it gives off an uneasy vibe and its overall unpleasant. The way the sculpture has been arranged with the fur inside the cup, spoon and saucer make it so that the objects no longer have a purpose. The piece is natural coloured, which makes the audience think of animal fur, which then also adds to the discomfort the piece causes. Oppenheim’s piece, although it isn’t comfortable, is harmonious as the fur is all directional and smooth and there are no harsh contrasts of colours in the sculpture and the lighting shows all the little details. The overall dominant colour is cream and a little brown, all the colours are quite natural to animal fur. The direction of the fur recurs and all flows in the same direction as much as possible and gives a smooth texture to the piece.

Process:

Oppenheim’s sculpture was made using animal fur and a spoon, cup and saucer. It has been composed by gluing fur all over the separate pieces. First, the artist would have bought a cup and saucer and found animal fur, seeming to match the colour slightly and glued the fur to the pieces. I think that the work would’ve been made quickly as it isn’t a very complexed piece and only contained 2/3 things. The idea came along from a conversation that Oppenheim had where it was said that fur could go on anything.

Mood / Meaning:

The sculpture gives the audience an uneasy feeling and makes them uncomfortable in its presence. The purpose of this piece is to expand and work with Marcel Duchamp’s idea of the “readymade”, however, it is also around the time when the suffragettes won the vote and began to become more equal, which meant that Oppenheim’s work had a bigger chance of being recognised. The piece leaves a lasting impression due to the fact that it isn’t something you could forget as it is very abnormal. As the viewer the sculpture makes me feel unsettled and distressed. The sexual connotations behind this piece also give an unsettling feeling as it isn’t something that was socially accepted to discuss at the time.

Influence:

Meret Oppenheim’s work relates to women’s independence, as at the time, the suffragettes had gotten the vote and were on the path to becoming more equal, this allowed Oppenheim to get her art out there and show her art with more freedom. Some people would have been disgusted by this piece because it is so strange and unnatural. This relates to the brief and surrealism as it is highly ‘uncanny’. It can easily be recognisable as a surrealist piece as it is far from ordinary. It could be described as “pure psychic automatism” – Andre Breton, Surrealist Manifesto 1924.

To recreate this piece I would use fur or feathers, some kind of animal material and an everyday found object and recreate the same image. 

Surrealism Research

Surrealism Research

Characteristics and key influences of the movement:

Surrealism is usually various different medias, e.g. painting, sculptures, photographs, magazines and sometimes even poems, books and films. It is typically composed in ways against the norm. Surrealism pieces usually give an uneasy tone to the audience. Each of the paintings, sculptures, photos, films, magazines, poems and books have the same themes in common, for example, they all drift away from the norm and experiment with the unconscious mind, hallucinations and dreams, the overall imagination. I would describe surrealism as bizarre, fantastic and strange. Surrealism originated in Europe, Paris 1924 – 1966, however, was dispersed in later dates. The pieces are aimed to send the message of breaking down the boundaries between dreams and waking life, cultures and each other. Tactics used in surrealism vary from cultural contexts and objects and often drawings from non-western and primitive cultures. 
However, due to this it was protested against and made an anti-imperialist exhibition against racist and imperial presumptions of the 1931 Colonial Exhibition in Paris. 

Surrealists manipulate the image of objects and things. Sometimes related to dreamlike states and imagination. Taking inspiration from Freud's theory of the conscious, preconscious and unconscious and allowing the unconscious mind to have the most control over the creation of the artwork (automatism). Surrealists also used the budding films as inspiration and tactics, as it allowed the uncanny and unusual to be expressed... through dreamlike movies such as, 'The seashell and the clergyman' by Germaine Dulac and Antonin Artuad. In sculptures, found objects and collage are common as it reaches further to the audience and its something that the viewers with feel a sense of knowledge about, yet is very uncanny and disturbing to see. Somehow seeking the marvellous through the unexpected. 

Another tactic is chance operations, for example, frottage (rubbings), brulage (burning of photographic negatives) and decalcomania, a technique of pressing together paint between sheets of paper. This also includes how some surrrealist artists travelled on directionless walks to encounter random found objects.

“Freed from the tyranny of the mundane” – Dr Robin Weinstein.

Each contain a different and unique view on objects, familiar yet strange at the same time. Surrealism artists are inspired by writers, such as, Edgar Allan Poe, hallucinations, following on from the Dada art movement in WW1, Ethos of Romanticism, fantasist Gustave Moreau, Henri Rousseau and Arnold Bocklin.

The most significant artists from the surrealism movement are: Salvador Dali – Spanish surrealist born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. Pablo Picasso – Spanish painter who spent most of his adult life in France. Rene Magritte – Belgian surrealist artist who became well known from witty and thought-provoking images. Frida Kahlo – Mexican painter inspired by Mexican popular culture. Max Ernst – German painter, a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and surrealism.

Cultural contexts of the movement:

Surrealist pieces are made in 1924 – 1966, during the times of WW1 and WW2. WW1 and 2 are occurring during the time in Europe. People were more focused on the war and realistic art to convey their emotions, which caused surrealism to be disliked rather than loved.

War (WW1 & 2) highly impacted art at the time, due to people being forced into exile, it caused surrealism to disperse around the world such as; New York, Mexico City and the Caribbean. It also was widely dispersed by commercial advertising around the world too.

Sigmund Freud’s theory of the conscious, pre-conscious and unconscious mind was very significant at the time, as surrealism was quite dreamlike and from artists’ unconscious mind.  Also, writers such as; Edgar Allan Poe were around, causing people to experiment with their thoughts and imagination. These highly impacted artists at the time, because it was very out of the ordinary and caused them to think deeper than what meets the eye. 

Fauvism Artist Research

Fauvism Artist Analysis

Andre Derain

Content:

I would describe this piece as an abstract and creative view on Henri Matisse. The subject is directly observed but the colours are imagined with warm and cold primary and secondary colours. The artist has tried to introduce a new look and style. Aspects of Derain’s piece are clearly abstracted and it creates a unique effect.

Formal Elements:

Derain has used dabs of paint from a brush to add textures to his piece. The piece has been arranged using warm colours and cool colours for highlights. The piece is quite harmonious. Yellow seems to dominate overall. The dabs seem to be continuous throughout the piece giving texture throughout the whole painting, because of how the piece has different brush strokes, it gives various different textures.

Process:

This piece was made using oil paints and paint brushes. Derain used a dabbing technique to create texture and would have sketched the basics beforehand. Derain also would have used paint straight from the tube, which can be shown clearly in this piece, as it is mostly primary and secondary colours that were available at the time. The work would have been made quickly as shown by the rapid dabs and brushstrokes. From this piece you could see Derain is clearly skilled using oil paints and overall painting and drawing.

Mood / Meaning:

Due to the warm colours that dominate, it gives the painting a happy and full of life feel, it captures a lively feeling and evokes a joyful atmosphere. It leaves a lasting impression of Henri Matisse as an overall happy man. The artist clearly conveys this with the use of strong warm colours compared to the very few cool and cold colours.

Influence:

This clearly relates to the theme, as it is from the time, consists of the main unnatural colours and media from the time and is clearly a piece of fauvism work due to the techniques used, e.g. rapid brushstrokes and dabbing in the portrait.