Referral Art Movement: Surrealism
Referral Artist: Salvador Dali (1904-1989)
Surrealism
- founded in 1924 by André Breton.
- a type of cultural movement and artistic style.
- uses visual imagery from the subconscious mind to create art without the intention of logical comprehensibility.
- influenced by Jung and Freud’s writings regarding dreams and the subconscious.
- famous artists in Surrealist movement included Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Joan Miro, Max Ernst, Giorgio de Chirico, and many more.
Salvador Dali (1904-1989)
 |
| “The Persistence of Memory" Photo credit to Google Image. Symbolism abounds in the eerie, melting images of pioneering Surrealist artist Salvador Dali’s most famous work, “The Persistence of Memory.” Creating “hand-painted dream photographs,” Dali (1904 – 1989) portrayed fantastic visions made believable through expert rendering. Captivated by scientific breakthroughs Dali, though always evasive on theories of the painting’s meaning, may have been illustrating Einstein’s theory that time is relative, and not fixed. [taken from: http://www.allposters.com/-sp/The-Persistence-of-Memory-c-1931-Posters_i290459_.htm?aid=261422660] |
Elements of Design
1. Line- lines are smooth and form shapes like clocks, cliffs, pedestal, branches, mountains, ants and a 'sleeping swan'.
2. Shape- positive and negative shape is well balanced, with clocks, shelf and mountains being positive.
3. Direction- the clocks, shelf and mountains are in horizontal which suggests calmness and stability.
4. Size-the area occupied by the objects are well drawn.
5. Texture- the clocks, pedestals, shelf are smooth whereas the branches and mountains portray a little of roughness in the picture.
6. Colour- ranges from blues and yellows to siennas and blacks.
7. Value/Tone- the tone can be seen in the shadows.
Principles of Design
1. Balance- asymmetrical established by the heaviness of the larger pedestal against the lighter cliffs placed at the diagonally opposite side of the painting.
2. Gradation- the branches pointing to the mountains and the shelf pointing to the draped clock direct eyes around the picture.
3. Repetition- clocks is used as a repetition in this picture.
4. Contrast- sharp contrast between light and dark seen on the mountains
5. Harmony- the picture looks harmony with the colour used.
6. Dominance- the soft and melting clock.
7. Unity- the picture shows unity with the colour and objects used and the branches pointing to the mountain links the whole picture.
Reference links:
1. http://www.surrealism.org/
2. http://www.duke.edu/web/lit132/dalibio.html
3. http://thedali.org/history/biography.html
4. http://www.allposters.com/-sp/The-Persistence-of-Memory-c-1931-Posters_i290459_.htm?aid=261422660
5. http://www.johnlovett.com/test.htm
1. Balance- asymmetrical established by the heaviness of the larger pedestal against the lighter cliffs placed at the diagonally opposite side of the painting.
2. Gradation- the branches pointing to the mountains and the shelf pointing to the draped clock direct eyes around the picture.
3. Repetition- clocks is used as a repetition in this picture.
4. Contrast- sharp contrast between light and dark seen on the mountains
5. Harmony- the picture looks harmony with the colour used.
6. Dominance- the soft and melting clock.
7. Unity- the picture shows unity with the colour and objects used and the branches pointing to the mountain links the whole picture.
Reference links:
1. http://www.surrealism.org/
2. http://www.duke.edu/web/lit132/dalibio.html
3. http://thedali.org/history/biography.html
4. http://www.allposters.com/-sp/The-Persistence-of-Memory-c-1931-Posters_i290459_.htm?aid=261422660
5. http://www.johnlovett.com/test.htm
