Surrealism Art
85SURREALISM ART
Surrealism Art is unreal, bizarre, fantastical, and features imagery that conveys a dream-like quality. Surreal paintings are puzzles that might not have literal meaning. Surreal art is not rational.
Surrealism Art transcends everyday reality. Surrealist art is all about the imagination; it is meant to surprise us with unexpected juxtapositions of images. Surrealist artists are free to explore their creativity and interpret their dreams.
Surrealism Art is an attempt to transfer dreams directly to the canvas; to paint what lives in the unconscious mind. Of course, a conscious human being cannot bypass his consciousness entirely since he paints while he is awake.
The Golden Age of Surrealism Art was its first decade: the 1930s. It was said to have died with the Second World War. And yet, it continues today. The word "surreal" means above, beyond, more than real.
GEDIMINAS PRANCKEVICIUS
Gediminas Pranckevicius is a digital surrealist artist from Vilnius, Lithuania. He also works as a freelance illustrator and concept artist. I could find no other biographical information about this creator of beautiful art who is new on the scene.
Gediminas Pranckevicius, using the NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+ graphics card, won $10,000 cash plus other prizes by winning first place in the NVART4-Surrealism Competition in 2009. The piece of art that made him the winner is featured on the page. It is entitled "Time."
Gediminas Pranckevicius is in the IT'S ART Hall of Fame. He has won an "excellence award" from 3DTOTAL and a CGHUB "Gold Award." If anyone can supply further information about this artist, please let me know. Otherwise, let us just enjoy his work.
JACEK YERKA
Jacek Yerka was born in northern Poland (Torun) in 1952. Both of his parents were amateur artists. He began to draw surreal images as an escape from what he calls "the grey, sometimes horrifying reality" of living behind the Iron Curtain.
Jacek Yerka began to make a pretty good living in the 1970s as a poster maker. Today his surreal paintings are displayed around the world at art shows and in art galleries, and hang in art museums in his native Poland where he is considered a national treasure.
Jacek Yerka adheres to a meticulous classic Flemish technique. His major influences include Bosch, Breugel, and van Eyck. His art includes imagery from his childhood in the 1950s, as well as from his dreams.
GEORGE GRIE
George Grie was born in the Soviet Union in 1962. His neo surrealist art was featured at successful shows around Europe from 1985 to 1995. He then settled in Toronto and became the lead media specialist for IBM.
George Grie has become famous for his strong, powerful images of visual paradoxes. There is a stillness, a melancholy, and a dark tonality about his artwork. He uses a photorealistic distinction technique.
George Grie creates for us a magical dream-like world of mystic romanticism. He gives us a journey into his subconscious, where we find both tranquility and tension.
FRANCIS PICABIA
Francis Picabia (1879-1953) was born in Paris to a French mother and Spanish father. He studied at the same art academy at which Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec had studied. His early work was influenced by the Impressionist Sisley.
Francis Picabia got into Cubism and became friends with Duchamp. He became one of the people who introduced America to Modern Art. But while in New York, hanging out with Man Ray, drugs and alcohol took a toll of his health.
Francis Picabia lived in Barcelona and then Zurich, where he ventured into Dada art. He was also depressed and suicidal. Upon moving back to Paris, he was befriended by Andre Breton and Gertrude Stein. In Paris he began to paint the surrealist art for which he is most famous.
RENE MAGRITTE
Rene Magritte (1898-1967) was from Belgium. His father made and sold clothes while his mother made hats. He said he hoped his art would be seen as "Poetic Paintings."
Rene Magritte painting illusionistic pictures that transformed objects into images. His work is witty and thought-provoking. His surrealist art has been described as "Detailed Realism" and "Magic Realism."
Rene Magritte began his artistic career as an Impressionist, moved into Futurism and then Cubism. He was a soldier, a draftsman, and illustrator for posters and advertisements, as well as becoming known for painting nude women.
Rene Magritte moved to Paris with his wife and met Andre Breton. Thus began his career as a surrealist artist. He moved to London and then back to Brussels, where he was quite successful as an art forger.
Rene Magritte described his surreal paintings as "visible images which conceal nothing; they evoke mystery and, indeed, when one sees one of my pictures, one asks oneself this simple question, 'What does that mean?'. It does not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable."
SALVADOR DALI
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) is the most famous of all the Surrealist artists. He also might have been the greatest self-promoter in art history. His paintings have been described as "paranoid dreams" that are "distorted and frightening."
Salvador Dali was from Catalonia, Spain. He became a skilled draftsman who was noted for being an eccentric dandy. His art was from the start bizarre and striking, and his behavior unusual and grandiose.
Salvador Dali's father was a lawyer who, after his wife died, married his wife's sister. Salvador believed he was the reincarnation of his older brother that died at the age of two—eight months before he was born.
Salvador Dali was expelled from the School of Fine Arts in Madrid for stirring up some sort of insurrection. He painted some art that was Cubist and Dadaist before declaring in 1934: "I myself am Surrealism."
Salvador Dali loved the art of Picasso and Miro, but his greatest influences were Raphael, Vermeer, and Velazquez. He came to know Sigmund Freud and Coco Chanel before he moved to the United States for eight years in the 1940s, where he re-embraced Catholicism.
In 1947 Salvador Dali underwent an exorcism by a Catholic priest and exorcist. In 1949 he moved back to Catalonia for good. From then on he was fascinated by eggs, holographs, the atom, and DNA. For the rest of his life he was a devout Catholic.
After his beloved wife Gala died in 1982, Salvador Dali lost his will to live and became suicidal. He will be forever known for his long cape and upturned waxed mustache. He once said, "Every morning upon awakening, I experience a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dalí."
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James,I am very grateful for this hub. I really love art works, especially abstract. These images that you present here are so picturesque!You have also thought me something new "Surrealism Art", honestly, this is the first time I have heard of this art term. Well, let me say I am not as deep as you are --I just love art work,that's it! Voted up interesting.
JJRBJ- Simply beautiful! Although this genre of art is not my usual preference, the paintings you've included here are absolutely beautiful......
Thank you for displaying Salome in such a prominent position....... Picabia has certainly succeeded in capturing her many faces, not an easy feat when depicting such a multifaceted subject..... that he was able to convey not only her physical beauty, but her inner ~ not so beautiful traits as well is commendable..... I am impressed.
The "Castle," definitely my favorite........... but you already know that!
;-D
Beautifully done........... I've enjoyed. K
Hi! James Awesome Hub. My favorite is Salvador Dali. Angie
James, this is an outstanding hub! I particularly enjoy "Mi" by Francis Picabia. Being a student of graphic design and a long time "self taught" photographer, I truly enjoyed this masterfully written hub.
An absolutely amazing hub.
It was so interesing and well presented so thank you so much for sharing.
Up up and away here without a doubt!!!
Take care;
Eddy.
James,
Thanks for writing on one of my favorite subjects... art. Your choice of examples were superb. I favor the works of Gediminas Pranckevicius and Jacek Yerka for their use of vibrant colors; they are very talented artists in pastels and digital art.
An in-depth look into artist's lives, old and new, you'll find how interestingly and strikingly odd many had or have serious psychological issues. It ranges from psychotic and narcissistic behavior to depressed and suicidal tendencies, something that is reflected in many of their paintings. Some even had criminal charges brought up against them. However, where they lacked in social skills and stability they excelled in their paintings.
Thanks for sharing this bit of information on art with your readers. I really enjoyed this hub.
Howdy Favorite Historian! Salvadore Dali used to be my favorite artist and I still love the things his pictures do in my head. But I have had another artist that has been my favorite for more years and I did not know it. His work was on fantasy novels for years and I had been looking at them and wishing there was a way to keep every book cover. I found a website and got my favorite ones from Boris Vallejo. I know some of them are a bit risque and so when I am in certain moods I can not look at them but most of the time I can. Anyway wonderful hub yet again.
This is a very interesting hub. A fantasy world of any source is sure to relieve the stress of reality. Something we all need a break from now and then.
James, I loved it. I look forward to every new hub you do. Thanks
Surrealist art is so bizarre but it's a breath of fresh air compared to the works before it. It's witty, insane, and I think really draws from just wild imagination.
So as you say,so as it is that abstract and creative art is a world within itself. First the thought,and then out comes the picture. You did it well.Thanks for sharing.
Hi James - wonderful introduction to surrealism. It is a fascinating art form and can be both beautiful and creepy. Now I recall that Alfred Hitchcock employed Dali to create the dream sequence in one of his great movies, think it was Spellbound.
Great hub! I love surrealism and was an art major...this hub was like a flash back to art history class! vote up!
These are fascinating and beautiful.
your descriptions and information are great. I am going to review this again. Thanks James for this magnificent voyage into surrealism art.
James, Superb presentation, research, image choices. This hub is a work of art.
Salvador Dali has fascinated me, baffled me, repelled me, and majorly weirded me out since way back when! I am drawn to his "Sacrament of the Last Supper," wondering what I'm missing. In a way it's not surprising that it's the most viewed painting in the National Gallery.
"Salome" is exquisite.
Excellent. All the votes! I really love it when you write about art!
Kind regards, Stessily
Final Frontier and Mindscape are my favorites. Our minds are capable of so much imagery. If we could really tap into it's full potential we would blow our own minds. Very interesting hub.
Hi James, this is such a great hub, but then what can I say about your works that I haven't said already.
Take care and God Bless
John
Well, James, you have done it again - added a whole new legion of admirers (at least on Hubpages) to surrealism and surreal art.
My favorites have always been Magritte and Dali. Now I will have to add Pranckevicius and Yerka. I do admire their work - neat and detailed and very open to interpretation.
Thank you once again for this outstanding piece of work. You ARE a piece of work, m'dear. I mean that, of course, in only the most positive way! Voted up.
snakeslane— Hello! Thank you for being my first visitor! I am surely glad to see that you enjoyed this Hub.
The images I used of living artists were found on their own websites, except for Mr. Pranckevicius. On those websites were notices that the images may be freely used except in a commercial venture. While this Hub might eventually bring me $5 for five hours work, I doubt that qualifies as a commercial venture under any reasonable definition. If I hear objections from the artists, I will gladly remove their sections forthwith.
I appreciate your kind comments. And you are most welcome. :-)
James
mackyi— I am like you in that I am no art expert but I love art and I know the art I love when I see it. :)
I appreciate the "voted up and interesting." Thank you for taking the time to review my gallery.
Kaie Arwen— You are welcome. The way the pictures fit on the page one of them had to be full-sized. "Salome" was recommended and it is so lovely that I could not refuse. As you say, Picabia created a masterpiece with that painting.
I am glad you enjoyed this Hub. "The Castle" is no doubt magnificent. These 12 works of art emerged as my personal favorites in this genre after reviewing hundreds of candidates.
As always, I appreciate your ongong support and encouragement. Thank you for your most excellent and insightful remarks. :D
JJRBJ
angie ashbourne— Thank you!! Thank you very much!
Curiad— Thank you very much for the accolades! I am well pleased to see you have expressed your enjoyment at this Hub. I appreciate this visitation. "Mi" is one of my favorite surrealist paintings.
Eiddwen— You are quite welcome, my dear. Thank you for the "up,up,and away!"
I very much appreciate your lovely laudations.
James
Faithful Daughter— You are most welcome. How nice it is to see you voice your appreciation of some of the younger artists.
You wrote: "An in-depth look into artist's lives, old and new, you'll find how interestingly and strikingly odd many had or have serious psychological issues."
Oh yes, that is true. I might have downplayed that a bit. Excellent point.
Thank you for praising my selections. I am glad you enjoyed this Hub. It is very good to "see" you again.
no body— Brother Bob!! Hello there. I just now took a look at Boris Vallejo's art and wow! It is eye-popping in more ways than one. The man can paint boobies, I'll hand him that.
I love Dali's later work. His various paintings of Christ seemed sort of offensive to me at first glance. As I have studied them more over the years the more I love them and think them strikingly beautiful. They are unusual, unconventional, to be sure.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments, my friend. And I am grateful for your compliments.
I am so glad you tackled this one, James, I believe our subconcious is a window to other planes. As always, thorough and satifying,thank you... lily
James,
This was awesome.I admire this but don't care for it. Art is so important for the human spirit and condition and this type is very unique.
I had a friend who collected Dali - amazing works of art. After he died in 1989, did his art work become more valuable?
I know you have an extensive collection, do you have any - if so which artist is your personal favorite?
Diana Lee— Thank you for coming by to check out my Hub. I appreciate your comments, especially the way you put this:
"A fantasy world of any source is sure to relieve the stress of reality."
Thanks for heads up on the image usage James, much appreciated.
charles wade— You are most welcome, kind sir. I appreciate your nice note.
mandymoreno81— Welcome to the HubPages Community!
I enjoyed reading your insightful, thoughtful remarks. Thank you for taking the time to peruse my Hub.
Apostle Jack— You are welcome. I like your comments. "a world within itself. First the thought,and then out comes the picture."
Amen!
Thank you for this visitation. It is good to hear from you.
Dolores Monet— Hello. I too seem to remember some kind of connection between Dali and a Hitchcock movie. As you say, Surrealism can be "both beautiful and creepy."
I am glad you like my Hub. Thank you for coming over. :)
picklesandrufus— An Art Major! It is an honor to have you here. Thank you for kind compliment and the voted up. :-)
Hyphenbird— You are quite welcome, my dear. I am glad you enjoyed the journey.
I am thankful that you took the time to review this gallery. I very much appreciate your gracious comments. :-)
stessily— I chose this subject because I had not written about art in a long time, though early on many of my Hubs were about painting. Plus, another Hubber requested of me a Hub about Surrealism Art, maybe a year ago, and I never fufilled that request. I am glad I once again ventured into my love of art.
The "Sacrament of the Last Supper," by Salvador Dali was among the two paintings I wanted to include in this gallery, but for time constraints and MTV attention spans, at the end I eliminated it and my other favorite by him "Christ of St John of the Cross."
I rectified this last omission by using it in my latest Hub. :)
I absolutely love "Salome" too. Thank you for your affirmation and encouragement.
James
agreenworld— I'm with you; I also love both of the George Grie paintings. They are hauntingly beautiful.
As you said so well, "Our minds are capable of so much imagery. If we could really tap in . . . "
John Sarkis— Thank you for your gracious accolades and blessings, my friend. It is always a distinct pleasure to read your comments. God Bless You!
james
James, "Christ of St John of the Cross" is my favorite by Salvador Dali. It's a painting which conveys much mysticism and power. The absence of blood, nails, and the crown of thorns from Jesus' body is compelling and emphasizes an incomparable purity in this image of Jesus. For me it is an image of peace and promise --- so it's a nice image for your latest hub on Third Millennium Ministries, which seem to be inspired by peace and by spreading, through their free materials, the promise of hope, love, and faith which characterize Jesus' teachings.
Kind regards, Stessily
drbj— Magritte and Dali are the most popular of all the Surrealist artists, from what I can tell. I just discovered Pranckevicius and Yerka as I was looking for paintings to include in this Hub, and their art dazzles me.
I like how Surrealist Art is "very open to interpretation." It means different things to different people.
Thank you for coming by. I appreciate your kind words and the voted up. And you are quite welcome. :)
lilyfly— You are most welcome, my dear. I am well pleased that you left this page feeling satisfied.
Thank you for your encouragement of my writing, Lily. I always look forward to hearing from you.
James
An exceptional hub from start to finish.
I appreciate art in its many forms and expressions, as well as surrealism art that entices my mind. I admire notables like George Grie. His strong and powerful artwork is set in a dream-like, mystical and magical world.
I truly enjoyed reading this.
James - Thank you once again for an excellent hub.
I love surrealism! And what a great variety you have put together here--
4FoodSafety— What art I was once had is now gone, alas. I did not have any Surrealism Art. I tend to prefer Rennaissance Art, or if it is newer art I personally go for Realistic scenes.
I am sure the value of Dali's pieces soared after his death. I think he is the unquestioned master at this artform, in my opinion.
I agree with you that this type of art is unique. I appreciate your comments. Thank you for visiting.
snakeslane— You are welcome and thank you. :)
stessily— I love how you put that: "the promise of hope, love, and faith which characterize Jesus' teachings."
Amen.
And yes, "Christ of St John of the Cross" is "a painting which conveys much mysticism and power. The absence of blood, nails, and the crown of thorns from Jesus' body is compelling and emphasizes an incomparable purity in this image of Jesus."
You have once again exhibited a discerning eye and delectable prose.
Thank you. And God Bless You. My friend.
James
SanneL— You are quite welcome. I am glad you enjoyed reading this. Thank you for the laudations.
I totally agree with you about George Grie. As you said so well, "His strong and powerful artwork is set in a dream-like, mystical and magical world."
Brilliant!
I am well pleased to meet a kindred spirit, who like me, "appreciates art in its many forms and expressions." :-)
James
AudreyHowitt— Thank you!! Thank you very much! :D
A big fan of Escher from way...way back I thought I would take a peek at this particular Hub and I was not disappointed. I need to get out more or visit my nearest Barnes and Nobel bookstore immediately. I wasn't even familiar with some of this digital artistry. Ty for a well written and photographically stunning hub.
LauraD093- Welcome to the HubPages Community!
I have heard the name Escher and I know I have seen his art but I cannot bring it to mind at the moment. I am going to check him out! :)
Thank you very much for your kind compliments. I appreciate the visit, and you are quite welcome.
One of my favorite forms and yet there are artists here I've never heard of. Thanks for pointing them out. Voting this Up and Interesting.
alocsin- You are welcome. Thank you very much for the voted up and interesting. I appreciate this visit and your remarks.
Wonderful Hub on Surrealism and some of the important Surrealists. I have never heard of Jacek Yerka. I believe I will look into his work, because he seems interesting and because my father's name was Jacek and he was also Polish. :) Theresa
phdast7— Thank you, Theresa, for expressing your appreciation of my Hub on Surrealism Art. What a coincidence that your father shares the same name as one of my featured artists! Thanks again for visiting. :-)
James
One of my favorite kinds of artwork, i am an artist so this is all interesting
Golden Field— Welcome to the HubPages Community! I am glad you enjoyed this Hub. Thank you for visiting and commenting.
Hi, i am sorry for asking, but my hub views are going way down. It would be so very helpful if you could maybe do alittle advortising for me. it would ever so helpful!!!!! Please please help me!!
G.Field
Golden Field— No worries, G. Field. I wouldn't know how to advertise for you. What you should do is go around and visit all the other Hubbers who are into Art—there are LOTS of them—and introduce yourself and tell them what your Hubs are about. I hope that helps!
james
thank you so much!!!!:D
Nice collection of work and artists. I thought Dali was interesting, until I saw the work of Bosch. I love to see them in the museum, but wouldn't want them to hang in my house!
Golden Field— You are quite welcome! :-)
Jane LaLone— Thank you for saying so. Bosch is pretty out there alright. But I like his paintings very much. They can keep me busy for a while. I appreciate the visit to my Hub as well as your comments. :)
very nice and beautiful.. The hub is great and provides very interesting info but what I loved the most are the pics. They are just so beautiful can't get my eyes off them. voted up and beautiful and Thank you :)
endless sea— You are quite welcome. Thank you for the gracious compliments. I sincerely appreciate the visit and the voted up and beautiful. I am glad you love the gallery of paintings I selected. Welcome the HubPages Community!
Thank you!
It was really nice to revisit this Hub and take a look at the additional comments made. A fan always of surrealism I find the pictures you used helpful in stimulating my own slightly skewed muse. Ty again for a well written visually stimulating hub.
endless sea— You are welcome. Still. :D
James,
I have a new job and am traveling a little bit less and some weeks a little bit more but always find time for stopping by to see you.
In the movie Money Never Sleeps with Michael Douglas, the painting Saturn Devouring Its Son by Goya - is Goya a Surrealist?
I find Goya and many of the art on your hub under the title of Surrealist to be morbid and foreboding.
I feel strongly art should lift us up. The Impressionists are the lighter side of the art world with the world out of focus but blurred in the light of happiness.
Sadly, the Surrealist seam dark and disjointed.
My world, the world I choose and the art I choose is bright and happy and better than reality.
Uplifting art with color that invokes a smile.
I am painting my hallway the color of the teal blue sea.
So having stated all of this, I must ask you this: "Is there such as thing as a happy Surrealist?"
LauraD093— You are quite welcome. I am well pleased when I see that you have visited or revisited one of my Hubs.
I appreciate the compliments and I hope your muse is properly stimulated. Thanks again! :-)
snakeslane Level 7 Commenter 3 months ago
Hello James A Watkins. I'm really enjoying this vivid and colorful gallery of surrealistic paintings by the world's best artists, past and present. Being somewhat new to Hub Pages I am amazed at your use of the images here, especially those of artists still living, as I am almost always afraid to use any images that are not my own, not understanding the complex copyright rigamarole involved. I wish I knew more about that. I'm hoping you will tell me more? I find this Hub fascinating and really beautiful. Magritte and Dali I have seen in the past, but the others are new to me. I find Francis Picabia's work a nice, easy, softer (less jarring) example of surrealistic painting. Thank you so much for sharing this J AW. I will definitely be back to have another look and enjoy. Regards, snakeslane