While Walking Through Surrealism, I Found ...

Guess this is surreal...



Chuck Staley Concept Art

Sorry the only thing I have that is surrealistic are my dreams of fame, and fortune!!

Terry Mair
tlmair.com

Lol, Terry. Very nice site, btw.

@Chuck, I think that qualifies. The definition for the movement is pretty accommodating. Very nice photograph: is it from one of the clock so prevalent in places like Germany? The way you cropped it gives it a dreamlike quality.

This one reminds me a little of "The Sleeping Gypsy" and some of the works of Rene Magritte

Dancing Vases - if not entirely surrealistic then at least whimsical :)



Raisa

Not my style (in the sense that I don't create much), but I do enjoy viewing and exploring and thinking about images like this and once in awhile I get something I think rates the key word "surreal". This is a recent upload for which I used the term. Am I way off? (Don't be afraid to tell me :) ) It was the colors more than the scene that brought the term to mind.

My work is sometimes mixed up with Surrealism due to the odd nature of the imagery but it has no buy in to freudian thought and therefore is not Surrealism in it's classic sense. It ties into symbolism much closer.

i have a number of surreals. it's best to just try some and see what sticks best.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Yes, and some people say surrealism has to look as if it could have been mistaken for reality in a dream state (we dream in chiaroscuro and not in pure shapes, theoretically). But it's really hard for me to disqualify Henri Rousseau from this category, especially the sleeping gypsy. Or this artist:



On a tangent, I heard stories that some artists tried to get inspiration through biofeedback on alpha wave creation, too. Pretty wild.

Beautiful, Nikolyn. The color and lighting make it seem surreal/dreamlike in my opinion. There are certainly surrealist photographers, but the only examples I can think of right now are the works of Ingre, who took one form and embellished it to suggest another: http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/54733/man-ray-le-violon-d%27ingres-ingres%27s-violin-american-1924/. A resounding I don't know on my part. Opinions, anyone?

Edit: I take it you're not going to be back, Mike? But yes, surreal :)

All art categories are relative and usually, when you can't put one's work in a particular box, it means it is probably more unique and interesting, as opposed to falling right into the said category.

Raisa

You make a very good point, Raisa. This one could also qualify as complex:



I love the tribute waiting in the trailer.

Vanessa , you are of course talking about the second wave of surrealism as far as the realist thing since the original surrealist movement was far more abstract featuring artist such as Miro.

I had to look him up. The one piece they depicted here makes Miró looks as if he were influenced by Dada. I really had no idea. Thank you, Ron.

http://www.albrightknox.org/exhibitions/exhibition:03-25-2011-spotlight-on-the-collection-artists-in-depth-arp-mir-calder/

@Mike, 6 now :)

Some of my Surreal Work.

Not specifically surreal, but this has a surreal quality

@Vanessa: @Chuck, Very nice photograph: is it from one of the clock so prevalent in places like Germany? The way you cropped it gives it a dreamlike quality.

There are several separate images in the clock piece, all from Rodeo Drive. Here is another version, Vanessa.



Chuck Staley Concept Art

This is my only surreal image, a watercolor.

The title says it all...

@ Randall, Christina's World Revisited is fantastic.

@Mark, I notice you also do some 3d. Do you have any future plans for that sunset? I personally can see the brightest part running and causing a single drip in a bowl or paint jar underneath because It almost looks painted. Brilliant colors.

@Chuck, wow. That's fantastic! You really have some nice work.

@Alfred, this expression is delightful. Do you think you might do more? You've also done a beautiful job with the fish.

@Patrick, incredible! Just looked again at your portfolio. I didn't know you did posters too.

And another:

Vanessa many of the Dada artist became surrealist in the first wave.

I consider myself a surrealist. But cannot post a picture.

Jugglenautica above….the sea inspired work you do makes me think of Captain Nemo and 7000 league under the sea….

I posted this photo and Jon Woodhams was kind enough to compliment it as "surreal". That comment has boosted my ego for many days now!

Possibly Vanessa. When something happens like that it's as if by supernatural magic, and I get a bit worried that interfering with it will spoil or jinx it. The sky did something amazing for a few seconds, and who am I to try to make it more than it was?

Often I take pictures of the sky with a view to merging with 3D, especially if it's over a factory or carpark, but it depends on how hard it is to disguise or remove powerpoles, streetsigns etc

Such amazing works....so beautiful and awesome! I love surrealism...I have a funny thoughts....you say I see surrealism in my dreams and then you wake and life is so bland compared to our dreams....What if the the author of the song that says 'Life is but what a dream' what if that is true? What if real life is our dreams and our real lives that we think is real is the dream? Interesting concept huh? You artist are wonderful and talented and your works are marvelous and intriguing thanks for sharing.. and Vanessa thanks for posting this...it is inspiring..Jean

I personally do not paint surrealism but admire several that do amazing work.

Well kind of......Not exactlly sure where the lines are for true surrealism

@Mark, I can certainly see your point.

@Diana, if you navigate to the picture you wish to post, you can look for the box that contains "artist...title...medium" information. In that lot there is a label called "link". Within that is the embed code you need.

@Jean, you are plenty welcome.

@Phyllis, amazing finds! I wonder if FAA puts a limit on how many people may be followed. The time line is a little frustrating, that's for certain.

@Shana, really nice image. Too bad we can't post our bio in images. It would be so much easier.

@Kelly, that's exactly how I feel any time struggling with the medium becomes more of an event than the creation itself. Perfectly expressed.

@ Melissa, we were discussing the same thing. Ron was saying there was two waves of surrealism and most of us think of the latter movement. But what you have posted looks as if it would qualify.

@Ron, I missed your comment about Dadists becoming surrealists. Thank you for the info. Now I understand why some images have that distinctive, nonsensically placed shapes.

Here's another one that crosses the line:

two for diana...

Thank you very much, Tom Druin, for including Diana's extraordinary work in this surreal thread.

Really great and interesting images here!

Thank You for all your help Tom Druin, Vanessa Bates and Patrick Anthony Pierson. :))

Yes, thank you, Tom!

@Liane, I love your "Hidden River". Were you inspired by the movie (hadn't seen it so no nothing except that there is supposed to be an underwater utopia at the end).

@Valerie, checking it out.

@Tom, the complimentary red green make this a really intense piece (ok, the multi-dimensional perspective is also a major factor). I love how you incorporated the yellow in the highlights. Now checking it out in person since FAA doesn't post the medium in the miniatures :)

Oh, forgot this:

@Vanessa No I didn't know there was a movie called Hidden River. Will have to check it out.

I love this one Vanessa!

This is my best surrealistic piece perhaps.

Thanks, Mario. (#｀ε´#). Appreciate it. And Yay, Diana. Very interesting piece. By the description, it sounds like you were inspired by the, um, shall we say pocket iFruit phone-like product that shall remain nameless?

@Liane, I'd gotten the title wrong. It should be "Lost River". Just a heads up because it could be a surreal film in a dark sense. It got terrible reviews on Rotten Tomatoes so if you want to wait until it heads to DVD, that might work too.

Black and white this time:

Yes Vanessa…you are correct. When the new IPhone 6 came out (I do not own one) what inspired me was the lines of people waiting to buy it. I thought to myself about the IPhone5 which still was freshly born…..and all the folks who were so eager to have new techno gadgets at any cost. This side of our society, this way of thinking ….so disposable…fascinate me and becomes great source of inspiration. Expecially the technology part. :)

You are so right about the built in obsolescence. It seems like modular design was discounted as "over engineering" and off with our wallet we voted.

Another one from Cynthia:

Nice find and thank you for sharing your work You have an incredible breadth of styles.

This is another artist that uses photography for his work:

Not sure if this counts as surreal...

We're trying to figure what defines surreal too, Jane. Normally I would say it was illustration but that's because I've seen the technique employed in illustration. But weren't the illustrators inspired by surrealist concepts? It is breaking the picture plane and gives the viewer the sense of an altered reality.

Photography is a poor medium for surrealism because you first have to own a melted clock.

Love Surrealism. I create what I think qualify as surrealistic images but who knows.
For example: -
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/thats-not-the-seven-15-to-port-royal-is-it-peter-krause.html
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/another-cup-of-tea-peter-krause.html
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/for-whom-the-crow-cries-scary----peter-krause.html
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/dont-tell-me-youre-smoking-again-peter-krause.html
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/thank-you-for-your-call-peter-krause.html

Thanks, Tom :) Julie Lee definitely has some wild stuff and loves to play with perspective.

@Edward, lol! You just need to do a little shopping: https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=melted+clock&tbm=shop

@Peter, René Magritte would love this piece. Yes, it's surreal.

The image with the knight and clock looks like steampunk to me. I thought that was only a science fiction sub-genre and subculture thing.

Hi Colette. Yes, you're right about Chuck Staley's "Knight Time" having a steam punk flavor. However, steam punk's only 'requirements' are that it imagines a world where the solid transistor was never born or was only a minor player as a residual technology of an era before, and that steam power never fell out of fashion or became absolutely necessary. That's a gross over generalization and you can find a better definition online. If it is literature, you'll find it in the sci-fi section. If it's art, it might be impressionist, sci-fi illustration, or if it has a little impossible in there, surreal.

@Noa, you have some amazing work!

Also plays with gravity: