Thursday, February 16, 2012

Why I love Surrealism


"Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members.
Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non -sequitur."-Wikipedia
There are many different aspects and facets of surrealism.  Probably the most noted surrealist is Salvador Dali.  He painted the famous 'melting clocks.'

I first learned about surrealism in ninth grade art.  My teacher, Mrs. Quisenberry, gave us the assignment to create a surrealist drawing.  I drew an underwater scene with finned zebras, elephants and giraffes swimming in sea weed.   I loved the idea of drawing and painting fantastic ideas that couldn't appear in the 'real world.'

I think surrealism is different from fantasy art, but the two can overlap in places.  In my own work, I have juxtaposed images and realities freely for the last 10 years.  I used to be wary of the label of surrealism when collectors used it to describe my style.  Now, I think it accurately describes my style and I am proud to be considered a surrealist.

In my most recent work, I use surrealism to convey something unexpected.  Lately, combining unexpected pop culture references or insects or other 'misplaced' images with traditional or formal portraits is interesting to me.

Example:
In this piece, "Past Present Future," the formal portrait of a noble woman is juxtaposed with a cartoon unicorn and a kraken in the background.  A little surreal...

To purchase a limited edition reproduction of this image:


Sizes

To purchase the unframed original watercolor "Past Present Future"- 11x14- $500 plus $20 shipping 


To read more about this painting and see more of my work, please see my website: http://www.artbysaradb.com

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