Surrealism is just my favourite art movement of all art history (I think I have mentioned it before). For some reason, surrealism speaks to me in such a way that any other movement (although Art Nouveau is close to it). My favourite surrealists are by far Salvador Dalí and René Magritte (I've even painted some of their paintings myself -couldn't resist- and I have a huge poster of 'The Persistance of Memory' from NY), and luckily I was able to visit both of their museums in Figueras, Spain for Dalí and in Brussels, Belgium for Magritte. Both museums are just an overwhelming and sublime experience that just made me fall in love even more with surrealism. Dalí's museum in specific is delirious. Since you walk in and see that rainy taxi with a huge boat spilling painting above it, you know you have entered to an amazing and somehow silly and nonsense place, but that's just wonderful!
Although I did enjoyed a lot Max Ernst's, Andre Masson's, Paul Devaux's, Hans Bellmer's (really disturbing, by the way), Matta's and Wilfredo Lam's work, I'll always keep my three favourites: Dalí, Magritte and Miró.
Both Dalí and Magritte send me to a dreamy and mysterious places from which I can make wonderful stories; their work delight me greatly. Miró, on the other hand, always makes me happy: his paintings are cheerful, relaxing, and childish, and they just put a big smile on my face.
It's hard to describe my love for surrealism, but I can say both the subject-matters and the techniques all Surrealists painters used are marvellous... and the best part is that you don't have to figure a meaning for a painting... you just enjoy it! It's surrealism! Doesn't make any sense so why worrying about finding a factual meaning?! It's just great! I think Surrealism is the most creative and innovative movement, they basically invented everything and left anything for us to create now... I love them.
Here are some pictures on some crazy and interesting things of Dalí's museum (they let you take pictures here!) and Magritte's museam (I could only take pictures on the entrance hall)
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| Entrance to Magritte's Museum I |
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| II |
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| III |
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| A crazy design by Dalí (He made SO beautiful jewelry) |
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| Entrance to Dalí's museum |
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| Well, why not? Dalí wanted it there... |
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| His cript is under the museum |
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| This is the ceiling of a room of the museum! |
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| Picasso as seen by Dalí |
(I tried my best with photographs, but dark rooms are difficult)
Many students seem to like Surrealism a lot! I agree with you about Joan Miro, he is like Paul Klee in that seeing his work always brightens my day.
ReplyDeleteSurrealism is a great style that will always offer possibilities, in part because it can cover so wide an emotional range, from delightful to terrifying.