Artist research paper
What is surrealism? What does it stand for? Is there any contemporary artist practicing surrealism in technological era? When I wonder about surrealism the first artist comes to my mind is Salvador Dali, "Surrealism originated in the late 1910s and early '20s as a literary movement that experimented with a new mode of expression called automatic writing, or automatism, which sought to release the unbridled imagination of the subconscious. Artists are practicing surrealism as the focal point of their arts until this day.
Historically, Salavador dali is the most popular surrealist, was born in Figueras, spain in 1904. He had encountered many difficulties during his teenages, his brother died, consequently, his mother was telling him he was the reincarnation of his brother. Dali's talent was discovered when he was young; his parents supported him to improve it, he studied in art schools in madrid and paris. Nonetheless, he was known for his eccentricity, and itellegent thinking. Dali was introuded to surrealism by the artist Rene Magitte. Moreover, his life was influenced a lot by dada philosophy. Contemporary, carrie ann badee is a surrealist who received her MFA in painting from the university of Delaware. Carrie's pattern of paintings is known of her creativity of landscapes associated with exotic flora, and fauna figures.
There are many similarities and differences between the two artists's works. Elepahants, 1948, by Salvador Dali, whereas, Melancholia with Demons 12" × 9", oil on copper, 2006 by carrie an bade. Surrealism has a unified idea which leads us to think in a paranoiac way when we observe their arts. Contrasting the two artists's work, both Dali and bade had used the same perspective of hierarchy, and dominance as the focal points, these points are observed directly when we see it. For dali's work, the two elephants were his points, elephant is a symbol of dominance, strength, and weight. Due to their bulk, andheaviness ; dali preferred drawing the elephants legs as an arachnid legs to appear weightlessness, especially with letting the elephants carry a heavy obelisks on their back. Whereas, in Melancholia with demons, bade drew everything naturally except the size of the demons,and the eyes.
The eyes illustrate the sadness, and devastation of the queen, however, naturally, demons are bigger, and hugger than human being, yet this art presents the opposite. Nonetheless, they used similarity and contrast mostly, Dali had repeated two elephants with two obelisks, and two men beneath them, yet Badee repeated many pleased demons, and two windows on the back. comparing their artworks in space, dali's space was between the two elephants, usually surrealist has the desire the fill his paints with details, but this art was having a unique idea, he had a negative space because he used a dark colors with many shades starting from the top, to the bottom, unlike Badee she drew many details in the background, and foreground, she also has a negative space because she used a darker colors such as blue, and black. Dali's work has a symmetrical balance between, and around his work because he used a similarity, yet Badee does not have a formal balance because her art consists of many details, and her background has a various shapes, and designs.
In my point of view, I believe both of the artists have a mutual idea of dominance, and strength in their art, no matter what kind of creatures they are, or how they look. In Dali's work elephants look like a goddess, and hegemonic animals that would not be beaten no matter what. Whereas, Badee's work illustrate different idea that she is a queen who lives inside a castle with happy demands, she is not afraid but she is depressed. The eyes were bigger than any feature in her face, I figured her sadness from the eyes because eyes talk or express our emotions when we feel speechless. The use of the color in dali's reminds me of the Indians rituals, and how would Indians worship the elephants, unlike, Badee's colors reminds me of the funeral colors, and she seems like she is reading a will from a dead person she loves.
In conclusion, surrealism's art always have many ideas, and these ideas differ from person to another when they observe it because it based on the day dream philosophy. Salavador Dali, and Carrie An Badee are perfect examples of historical, and contprorary surrealism artists. They have not copied, and pasted the same notion, but they still expanding it with different approaches which let us feel it, and would like to live in it. Elephants, and Melancholia with Demons are paranoiac paintings, with sensitive emotions.