SURREALIST ARTISTS
Max Ernst
The Hat Makes the Man 1920 Collage, pencil, ink and
watercolor on paper 35.6 x 45.7 cm
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Max Ernst was one of the founders of Surrealism. He met Breton in 1922 and began to work on "Litterature". His work involved "frottage" which is basically the rubbing of different objects against the paint in order to produce new textures. His work was often hallucinatory, bizarre, full of spontaneous thoughts, disturbing, and erotic.
Click here to see one of Ernst's paintings.
Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966)
Woman with Her Throat Cut 1932 Bronze 7 7/8 x 29 1/2 x 22 7/8 in. (20 x 75 x 58 cm) Alberto Giacometti-Stiftung, Zurich.
In 1928 he joined up with Andre Masson and Michel Leiris, and he was a member of the Surrealist group from 1930 t 1935. His sculpture had an influence on the surrealists' conception of the object. He broke from Surrealism in 1935 did not exhibit until 1947.
Rene Magritte
Time Transfixed 1939
Oil on canvas 57 1/2 x 38
3/8 in The Art Institute
of Chicago
Magritte
was
unlike
any
of
the
other
Surrealists,
although
I
could
say
that
for
all
of
them.
Magritte
painted
real
objects
in "an objective representation
of objects".
His
paintings
did
not
contain
symbols
of
the
unconscious.
Instead,
his
paintings
reflected
a
poetic
sense
of
Surrealism.
However,
Magritte
portrayed
the
obsessions
with
death
and
eroticism
just
like
the
other
Surrealists.
Magritte
was
primarily
inspired
by
de
Chirico,
especially The
Song of Love. He was also inspired by Bosch and Bruegul, two 1500's
painters. Bruegul's The Bee Keepers definitely
exhibits
the
kind
of
metamorphic
figures
that
Magritte
became
so
fascinated
with.
He
was
particularly
interested
in "living" statues,
biomorphism,
and
the
usage
of
the
most
ordinary
objects,
like
his
tuba,
to
portray
the
chaos
and
displacement
that
surrounded
Surrealism.
Finally,
despite
all
of
the
work
Magritte
had
put
into
the
Surrealist
movement,
he
was
rejected
from
Breton's
elite
group.
Andre Masson (1896-1987)
Masson became a member of the Surrealist group in 1924 and did automatic drawings, portraits, and sand paintings. He moved away from the movement in 1929 and joined up with Georges Bataille. His painting were very philosophical. He also utilized automatic writing in his work.
Joan Miro (1893-1983)
Dog Barking at the Moon (Gos bordant a la lluna) 1926 Oil on canvas 73 x
92 cm Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Miro's work turned Surrealist in the early '20'sand he had a great success as a promoter of Surrealist painting. However, it was not until 1924 that he became a full fledged member of the group. In 1926 he and Max Ernst collaborated on designs for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes production of Romeo and Juliet. This was the subject of a vigorous polemic, and won the disapproval of the Surrealist group. Miro was known for his collages and often humorous fantasized paintings.
Meret Oppenheim
One of the few female Surrealists.
Francis Picabia (1879-1953)
In 1912 he began his 'orphic' period, supported by Apollinaire. He visited
New York in 1913, and had an exhibition at Alfred Stieglitz's gallery, 291.
He took part in the beginnings of Dada in Paris, and this coincided with the
full flowering of his 'mechanist' period (1918-21), which is exemplified by
works like Child carburettor and The Amorous Parade both from
1917. From 1925 to 1935 he lived in the Chateau de Mai near Cannes, and followed
his 'monster' period with his Transparencies (1926-35).
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
The Spanish master, who, from his blue period to his pink period, from Cubism to Neo-classicism, himself embraced all the various temptations offered by modern painting, gave his support to Surrealism to a degree which Breton assessed thus: 'Picasso of his own accord turned towards Surrealism, and as far as he was able, came to meet it. Evidence of this can be found in part of his output from 1923 to 1930, metal constructions of 1930-31, the semi-automatic poems of 1935, right up to the play Le Desir attrape par la queue of 1943.'
Man Ray
Élevage de Poussiére
Dust Breeding 1920.
Man Ray was one of the few photographers who took part in the Surrealist
movement. He created the rayograph which was a form of developing his
photographs. The rayograph was created by placing objects on a light sensitive
piece of paper and then subjecting the paper to light. However, Man Ray did more
than just photographs. He made several films including The Star of the Sea (L'Etoile
de mer) and the Anemic Cinema.
Yves Tanguy
Legendes ni figures (Neither Legends nor Figures) 1930 Oil on canvas 32 1/8 x 25 5/8 in The Menil Collection, Houston, Texas
Tanguy's first Surrealist paintings were inspired by Giorgio de Chirico and the writer Jacques Prevert. He joined Breton's group in 1925, shortly before Jean Arp joined. Tanguy was most recognized for his airless landscapes which allowed his biomorphic objects to "hover."
Images from: © 1999 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris