surrealism
I would like you to explore some Surrealism on the web.
Please read the following article, view the paintings, and watch the flash movies. Connect these experiences/viewings with the readings for this week (in Poems for the Millenium).
Article on Types of Surrealism
Surrealist Painting
>Surrealist influenced flash art
Please read the following article, view the paintings, and watch the flash movies. Connect these experiences/viewings with the readings for this week (in Poems for the Millenium).
Article on Types of Surrealism
Surrealist Painting
>Surrealist influenced flash art
posted by marcus silcock at 12:14 PM
45 Comments:
Surrealism takes on a role to explore the unexpected when it comes to certain images. It seems they often focus on the eyes, in paintings as well as the written word. I believe they might take this focus because in almost everything you do there is a sense of visual capture. When you hear a poem usually you imagine what the sounds look like or you create a picture in your head. Surrealist want that picture to shock and intrigue you. This also goes for when you actually see an image it is of the shocking/dreamlike nature as well.
Karin Aydelette
All of the art and the movies that you have provided for us to compare with our readings from the text resembles the poetry very much. While reading the poetry in the text, I feel as if my perception of reality is challenged. They are difficult to understand, and I find myself frustrated because I am trying so hard to make sense of them. Also, the poems force me to think about things I wouldn't normally wish to think about. For example, in the poem Joan of Arc, the image of Joan eating a cowpie is burned into my mind; much like the famous eyeball scene from the surrealist film we watched in class on Monday. Also, in the poems, words and phrases are juxtaposed that are difficult to understand. In the poem Midway, the words "cabinet minister" are placed next to each other; much like random objects are placed next to each other in surrealist artwork. I see many similarities between surrealist art, poetry and films; however, the main similarity is the ability of each of these forms of art to challenge what we know as reality.
Stefanie Tallent
The article about surrealism states that surrealism is related closely to abstract art. In fact, surrealism was branched off into two different categories of surrealistic art--automatism and veristic surrealism. In automatism, the focus was more on abstraction, a suppression of the consciousness in favor of the subconsciousness. It was less analytical and placed emphasis on feeling. Automatists didn't want to be weighed down with meaning, and thus, they never wanted to become consicous of the mystery that their subconscious was creating, as we can also see in the painting called "A little solitude amidst the suns (A Picture painted to tell not to prove)-1919 by Francis Picabia. However, on the other hand, veristic surrealists wanted to represent the subconscious images as a link between the "abstract spiritual realities" and "real forms of the material world." They valued the use of metaphor and desired to learn from their surrealistic art.
With respect to the poems we read in "Poems for the Millennium," we can see aspects of both automatism and veristic surrealism. For instance, in "Trance Event" by Robert Desnos, we see a series of questions and answers, perhaps an attempt to learn something, just as the veristic surrealists wanted to do. Veristic surrealists would probably also enjoy "Free Union" by Andre Breton, which seems to use several metaphors when talking about a wife. Several of the poems also seem to invoke feeling, one such poem being "Epitaph" by Robert Desnos. It seems as if it is an outcry to the living talking about life, and that now, the narrator is nothing, but dead. In one of the flash videos, we also see the importance of chance to surrealism, as we have learned that it is a part of surrealism, though less than it was of dada. Meeting people is chance is a central theme of the video.
Jessica Dickerson
As I read the articles that were provided on the website and watched the flash videos, I began to understand why the poems that we read in "Poems of the Millenium" were so different than the others we've read. Surrealism is basically a way that connects reality to fantasy, which is very unique I think. Particularly, the poems "Free Union" and "Go For Broke" include many metaphors to express the inner emotions. When I think of poetry, I think of metaphors anyway, because it is a thoughtful way to compare feelings to something else that is equally relevant. In this way it achieves a greater emphasis, and allows other people who are reading the poems to try to decode the underlying message.
Also, surrealism allows freedom for people to interpret in anyway. In one of the flash videos I watched (switching channels), this brought to mind how it very much relates to dreams. Dreams are sometimes vague, timeless, and are always changing. For example, when I dream there are various scenes that take place, one right after another, without any feeling that time is passing by. Some of the poems provide a sense of not being preoccupied with time, especially in Benjamin Pereret's "My Final Agonies". The poem is arranged on somewhat of a timeline, but when reading the poem, one doesn't pay attention to the year beside each line. The lines are not parallel to one another, yet still provide a sense of harmony and contribute to the idea of surrealism.
Airreia Smith
Surrealism is my favorite movement thus far. Some of the works are slightly freaky but they intrigue me. The paintings are amazingly random. They look as if many people painted a part of the picture and in the end they put them all together. That is what makes Surrealism so interesting. The randomness of the works intrests me because they somehow seem to work out. The poems we have been reading like the question and answer ones make sense in a weird way. The idea of simply writing what comes to mind and combining it with the thoughts of someone else seems absurd but it works out very well. The videos focus on the dream like world. They are a little weird but they capture the unrealistic dream like qualities of surrealism. The one where the guy was looking in a mirror seemed normal at first then it turned to the freaky surrealist view. The focus on the face and eyes stands out to me. They seem to be very concerned with the visual aspect of art. Most of the paintings and videos had some reference to the facial features, but mostly the eyes.
Megan Foster
I thought the articles on surrealism was very interesting. It was funny to know that Tristan Tzara gave ugliness and not beauty to his work because he thought a society during the time of war didn't deserve it.
The flash films were funny. I especially like the one where the clock was going backwards. To me it symbolized going back in time and possibly given the chance to go and correct things. I also liked the man in the suitcase. There he was comfortable and it was empty with no worries. He said that he could live in a suitcase of dreams rather than outside in silence. I think that meant he can do whatever he chooses inside and not have to face the world of criticism. I don't quite know why the word INSOMNIUM was put at the end of the movie.
Johnna' Burns
The rise and fall of surrealism is proof that this form of art is one that survived many ups and downs. The concept of surrealism has become very popular in today's culture. i have seen concepts of surrealism mostly in the movies that I have watched. The examples that you provided gave me a better meaning of the broadness of surealism. It is not a seperate reality but rather a super reality.
The pictures and movie skits were interesting. the one that stuck in my mind the most was the one with the man and the big white dove over his face. Surrealism is just a challenge to logic. Now that I have an understanding of what it is, I can relate it to the things th at i see in my dreams.
The Surrealist movement gained its momentum after the Dada movement. Surrealism was led by a French doctor, Andre Breton. This movement contains dream-like images of the mind and reality. This has been the strangest one that we have looked at in class. For instance, in the poem Joan of Arc, there are some images in there that aren't very normal. It is about different things that wouldn't normally happen. As I looked at some of the paintings, the concept of the dreamy images still related to these also. For example, the painting "Philosophy in the Boudoir" by Rene Magritte. This was an image of a dress on a hanger, but it also had an image stand out on the dress and also in the shoes. When you look at a pair a shoes, you don't see actual feet in them unless it is a photograph. The flash movies also had the same idea. In "The Concept of Chance" by Kevin Wilson, it has a series of pictures that he has taken throughout the day. They are never the same. Life is filled with chances.
Brittany Hall
Surrealism is something that is totally wierd in its own way. I love how different it is but at the same way is just extreme. It tends to scare me at times with the outrageous scenes of the movies and the paintings. I enjoy reading new and different ideas and thinking outside the box. It creates new pictures in my mind and allows for me to view things in a different perspective.
The Paintings were out there. Some that I noticed were rather weird and different was a painting by Rene Magritte "The Man in the Bowler Hat" because for the face of the man it had a white dove I thought it was rather interesting and another painting titled Philosophy in the Boudoir. These paintings dipicit surrealism in a magnifiscent way. It shows its originallity and its incredible way of portraying life and the world. Wendy Pagoaga :)
I am going to say more about surrealism I hope this is ok. I really do enjoy this and I love what we are reading in class and the types of activities we are doing in order to understand what surrealism is. It has allowed for me to think differently as far as my readings and it has allowed for me to think outside the box. Things do not always have to be the same nor look the same and surrealism has proved that. This by far has been my favorite movement that we have read,learned and discovered. Wendy Pagoaga
I am going to say more about surrealism I hope this is ok. I really do enjoy this and I love what we are reading in class and the types of activities we are doing in order to understand what surrealism is. It has allowed for me to think differently as far as my readings and it has allowed for me to think outside the box. Things do not always have to be the same nor look the same and surrealism has proved that. This by far has been my favorite movement that we have read,learned and discovered. Wendy Pagoaga
I've always heard my friends use the phrase "thatwas so surreal"and i have to admit i never really understood the meaning of surrealism.After reading some of the poems we've read in class i think i have a more clear concept on the definition of surrealism. Surrealism is something so unreal it is hard for us to see it as a real image, so uncommon and weird that when it happens you want to differentiate it from reality instead of accepting the fact that it is reality.
What really stood out in the articles was the two different parts that surrealism was divided into the Automatists and the veristic Surrealists. In many of the paintings i found that veristic surrealism is most commonly used.
Arnetta Hardy
i've always heard my friends use the expression "That was so surreal" but i never really knew the real definition of surrealism. After reading some of the poems ive realized that surrealism is when the mind wants to differentiate between what is reality and what is not reality.
What really stood out to me in the articles are the two parts of surrealism. Automatists and veristic surrealists. In the paintings i found that Automatists were used in the paintings alot more than veristic surrealists.
The flash art was more of the veristic surrealists, such as "The trees on the left, and their are some Automatists images. I love the fact that their is almost like a mystery to it, that keeps your mind creating reasons of why or what the purpose of the poem is.
Arnetta Hardy
Surrealism is one of the better movements in poetry. (strictly my opinion, of course). I like the way the artist and poets of this artistic style uses the "dreamlike" state. It seems that the "dreamlike" state is common among us all but is not shared out in the open in hope that we will hide our own in repressions and fears. Although, with this movement it suddenly became okay to express the unexpressable through writing and painting. (and now so with photography and flash films)
The part that I enjoy most about surrealism is the fact that this type of art challenges my perception of things. It goes against the complete norm of all subject matters and allows my simple mind to question. It questions this artistic style as well as the product itself. Like the flash film that stuck out to me most was the suitcase. Do most people live within their dreams and only come out occasionally? These type of things allow my mind to look at the world in a different way. It also inspires me to ceate surrealist works as well. (though not nearly as good as the originals of this art form) A main focus that seems to be present in this art is that of the eyes. It almost seems that eyes can see through all things even internal thoughts...
The only thing that I am a little on the down side about surrealism is the fact that it is not a happy beautiful. Beautiful yes, just not a new type of birth beautiful. Although I do enjoy reading it. And it does challenge my mind.
~lisa thompson~
When I read this article on Surrealism, the movement began to make more since to me. I didn't understand the ideas behind the Surrealism movement. I knew that it came because of Dada, but i didnt understand why.
These paintings helped me visulize the Surrealism movement. I understood what Surrealist were saying, but I couldn't picture any thing that would be considered Surreal. After viewing these paintings, I began to realize we experience surreal images in life everyday.
The flast art was my favorite part of the Surrealism art we looked at. Even though some of the flash art was a bit out there, over all it made since. Also, it made me think of my dreams that I have had and the possibility into making these artwork or poetry.
~Sally Hinson
I never really understood what surrealism meant until I started reading and looking deeper into the poetry that we have read in class. The surrealism movement is very interesting and different from all the other movements. You see and imagine things that you would never come across. You get to see a whole different world of things with surrealism.
Reading the articles, one thing I remember was it said that the only kind of surrealism that was accepted after the war was Automism. It seems like this would be the case considering that automism focused more on feelings and less on analytical.
In a lot of the poems we read in class I could see the surrealism coming out of the poems. I would read things that was so foreign and so out of the ordinary and go "man this is crazy". I mean it was kind of shocking and weird.
I really enjoyed viewing the slide shows of all the pictures. I thought it was interesting seeing all the illusions and just understanding the way our conscious operates.
I forgot to put my name on last comment. Andrea Brown
Surrealism involves the use of imagination and dreams. It is just what is says things that are surreal or not usually normal. The book mention that surrealism was based on principles of consiousness and politics. From the images and video that we were suppose to view it proves that to me. It had an image of George Bush which represented the politics and also, an image of some sort of face, which represented consiousness to me. I really enjoyed watching some of the videos, it was interesting, I waiting to see what would appear next and what the author had to say.
The also mention that surrealism had to do with transforming the world. Some of the image/pictures represent this idea. Some of the images had parts of a human being and other parts of an animal or object. I remember on in particular, some facial features of a man and the some facial feature of a tiger. I guess the artist is trying to tell the audience that everyone has something in common with another creature on earth. I would say by the artist placing different pieces of man and animal together it is transforming the world. I enjoy reading about surrealism, because it keeps me guessing.
Tammy McRae
Surrealism is characterized by questionable imagery and incompatible juxtaposition. For instance, in Max Ernst’s The Hundred Headless Woman the images are not something that you would usually see and when you do see it you may feel that it is not normal. It seems out of place and leaves a lasting impression in your mind. An example of inconsistent juxtaposition is Andre Breton’s Poem-Object. He places objects that has nothing in common side-by-side. You are left wondering what do the objects indicate. Sometimes the artist is not aware of the intended or unintentional purpose of his or her work. Though Surrealism struggled in the past to survive today the movement is still continuing, but silently.
Hong Ton
Surrealism is not a new term to me. being very involved in art, i have learned much about the surrealist movements. Although this is the first time i have read a surreal poem it is not new to me. the way they poets write they poems is so simular to the way the artists paint theire pictures. surrealism isnt about the sound that comes out, its about the image that is presented. while reading the poems i can picture what is going, infact the poems seem too look very simular to the artworks done by the surreal atist. I feel the Surrealism movement is creative and brings out more love and romance than many other poetry eras we have read so far.
Stephanie Kuebler
Surrealism, is a means of joining the conscience and unconscious world of experience, so, that the world of dream and fantasy would be connected to the real, rational world in an absolute reality, or a surreality. It was founded by Andre Breton in 1924, and was a mainly European movement. It also attracted the interests of many members of the Dada movement Surrealist writers were more interested in the connection and implications of words rather than their exact meanings. The surrealism art is a technique in which the artist uses incredible visual imagery from the subconscious mind with no intention of making the artwork reasonably understandable. Surrealism was extremely influenced by the work of Freud and Jung. Surrealism attempts to advance our understanding of the human condition by looking for ways of blending together our conscious reality with our unconscious dream state. According to the article, there are two types of surrealism: "Automatism… "is a form of abstraction.” Veristic Surrealists: “the object stood as a metaphor for an inner reality.”
In the readings we can see types of both automatism and veristic surrealism. A lot of the works seemed to ooze emotion, and want to spark feeling, like the poem "Epitaph" The poet it seems wants to give a warning to the living, about life because the narrator is no longer living. An example of a Veristic type of surrealism, we get "Free Union" by Andre Breton. This is probably a favorite of the Veristic surrealists because he uses many different metaphors in describing a wife. In the art that we looked at, there is no rhyme or reason, or specfic anything, I Feel that surrealism just wants you to feel, there is no set purpose to what they write, they write, draw what they feel, and hope it sparks some emotion and feeling out of the audience.
Jennifer McGuirk
the prestige of the underground. there has always been something mysterious and captivating about the culture and art produced by sub-culture movements. these movements go through phases but two that are closely related are the surrealist movement and the modern indie movement. surrealist poets and artists sought to explore suppressed emotions and thoughts, publish the things they had only thought before. their work and art was abstract and revolutionary. today artists identifying themselves with the indie movement strive for almost the same goals to produce abstract, on the edge work - throuh various mediums - that explores inner emotions and thoughts. to further compare the two look at an example of surrealist art and of modern indie art. the first is titled Portrait of Alfred Stieglitz- 1913 http://www.surrealist.com/art.aspx?id=1
the next is a flyer for the band the Blood Brothers http://www.gigposters.com/posters.php?poster=41331
and also http://www.gigposters.com/posters.php?poster=22011
the first modern example is very similar to the surrealist painting and the last is an example of a "surreal" image, that portrays images pulled from disturbing thoughts. these are just one of many comparisons that can be made between the two movements. but i guess its more important to say that the indie movement borrowed the manifesto of the surrealist movement to make a new form of art, abstract and thought provoking - beautifully disturbing.
FORGOT TO SIGN MY NAME
the post at 9:12 about the indie movement and its simalarities to the surrealist movement was posted by JOHN ELLIOTT
john elliott
This specific section was a challenge because it was almost as if this style of surrealism had sound. When reading the life of surrealism it gave me a great respect to the authors who struggle to keep it in the light of the public. Surrealism can not be grasped souly on words but more on the feeling the author is trying to promote. I believe that is why the art I looked at, in the second section was more like a sound. In the first picture I looked at I could feel the destinct strenght with in the artist. I could hear the beating of the drums as each stroke was made on the picture. Futher down on the page the pictures of things you see every day. It gave me a humbling experience because in everyday life I don't take the time to appreciate the simple things.
I really enjoyed the flash photographs because even with out sound it was as if music was playing. The walks of different paths played a very soothing song and with the choice of words and gave the surrealist poem a since of peace. Tiffany Buie
Surrealism as well as Dada, as described in the prologue was designed to change the world. This designation was takin into account with the creation of certain paintings as well as certain texts/showings (i.e. movies). To "explore the unexpected" as one previous blog states is certainly tied to futurism as well, because of exploring what could and could not happen. Also, surrealism could also be the "movement of dreams" becuase as discussing the word and meaning, the meaning is similiar to dream sequences where a person can wake up and ask themselves "did that just happen?" "was that real?", etc. With what we read today in class, those questions can be asked again as to why the artist expressed him/herself the way they did.
Chris Swaim
These articles put alot of things in perspective for me. Being abstract seems to be the main purpose and this becomes very apparent when I looked at the pictures. When they create something they don't want it to be the ordinary, they want to shock you and make you think something, but the way they put it on paper or picture just goes around many different corners. It's difficult for me to fully understand the concept that they want me to get, even if there is a certain one. Like when we watched the movie and the woman's eye got cut, I really didn't know what to think of that, and I really don't know what the purpose of that was. Also the poems force views on you, and they bring things to the suface that people don't necessarily want to think about. They make you focus on the dark and drab, and I usually don't think of poetry like that,so that's why it's a little hard for me to grasp at times. But overall, I am learning new things and learning more and more about these movements everyday.
Aprylle Morrison
These articles put alot of things in perspective for me. Being abstract seems to be the main purpose and this becomes very apparent when I looked at the pictures. When they create something they don't want it to be the ordinary, they want to shock you and make you think something, but the way they put it on paper or picture just goes around many different corners. It's difficult for me to fully understand the concept that they want me to get, even if there is a certain one. Like when we watched the movie and the woman's eye got cut, I really didn't know what to think of that, and I really don't know what the purpose of that was. Also the poems force views on you, and they bring things
These articles put alot of things in perspective for me. Being abstract seems to be the main purpose and this becomes very apparent when I looked at the pictures. When they create something they don't want it to be the ordinary, they want to shock you and make you think something, but the way they put it on paper or picture just goes around many different corners. It's difficult for me to fully understand the concept that they want me to get, even if there is a certain one. Like when we watched the movie and the woman's eye got cut, I really didn't know what to think of that, and I really don't know what the purpose of that was. Also the poems force views on you, and they bring things to the suface that people don't necessarily want to think about. They make you focus on the dark and drab, and I usually don't think of poetry like that,so that's why it's a little hard for me to grasp at times. But overall, I am learning new things and learning more and more about these movements everyday.
Aprylle Morrison
I've already learned a little bit about surrealism in an art class that I am taking this semester. It has definitly helped me to understand what the poems are about that we have read in class. Surrealism is related to a type of abstract art. I think it has to deal a lot with the expolration of dreams and the unexpected. Surrealists want to expolre the unconscious mind and paint a visual picture of it through art and through poetry. It's like they try to connect fantasy with reality. The pictures that I looked through were very interesting. They almost make you take a doulbe look at them. You wouldn't expect to see those types of things in real life. Just like the video we saw in class; you would never expect to see ants crawling out of someone's hand.
Kimberly Richtarik
Surrealism is a movement that is artistic and focuses on the mind and reality. Surrealism in an artistic view is thought of as freedom of creation. Whatever enters the conscious mind of an artist can take form without any second thoughts.
Max Ernst's The Hundred Headless Woman brings poetry and poetic images together to awaken the concious mind. Though there are lines under each picture describing what is going on, the reader still has to focus on the pictures to fully understand the concepts on each image.
In the painting titled "Infinite", there is a meaning beyond the images. The subject of the painting appears to be capable of doing or having whatever she desires. The fact that she appears to be in the sky could mean that she sees all and cannot be touched or harmed. She is a great force.
Nicole Parker
Although sometimes disturbing and even frightening, surrealism has been one of the greatest vehicles of human liberation. Allowing for the depths of the human psyche to be explored has allowed surrealist creators (artists, poets, playwrites, etc.)and their audience alike to aknowledge thoughts so intimate that the individual hardly ever reveals them to himself. I find it interesting that two solutions have been developed to exposing these secret workings of the human brain. The idea of simply allowing the unconscious to emerge in unrestricted form, as led by automatic surrealists such as Picasso and Miro, is found in the poetry of Aragon. In his Poem to Shout in the Ruins, the reader finds himself following varying streams of thought, the next thought perhaps triggered by the memory of the former, some interrelated, and others completely inconsistent with one another. Adhering to automatist thought, Aragon states all which comes to his mind, without regard to logic. However, I believe that this unrestricted surfacing of thought is the most interesting aspect of surrealist art, since as humans, we never stop generating strands of thoughts whether we are willing to recognize them or not. Sometimes I myself am shocked when I suddenly bring into realization where my thoughts have been, although I have never considered trying to record them through painting, writing, or other method of expression. Nonetheless, I am fascinated by those who do record the unconscious, whether in an unrestricted matter, or through the structure of learned art, such as the Verastic Surrealists. I found that many of the paintings on the suggested website by the artists Dali, Rene Magritte, Man Ray, and even Marcel DuChamp fell into this category because they incorporated widely accepted art techniques. Similarly, the flash movies made use of carefully studied methods of creating a successful composition. Translated into poetry, verastic poets could be expected to create their complete images of the subconscience through deliberately executed rhyme scemes, alliteration,repetition, and other literary techniques. Benjamin Peret's Joan Arc is a good example of a verastic poem through its distinguishable rhythm as well as its vivid and complete, although absurd imagery.
Tineke Misegades
Surrealism is a form of abstract art which is pretty much stated in the article. Surrealism allows readers to look at things in their own way. It lets readers interpret the meaning the the paintings and poems in their own ways. The author may have a certain meaning but looks for the viewers and readers to take it in a whole different meaning. There are two different types of surrealism which are: Automatists and Veristics surrealistic. Automatists is a more distinct aspect of abstract work. In the paintings that we saw, their were more of this type of surrealism shown. Veristic is more of the object seen as a metaphor describing reality. In the poem "Free Union" by Andre Breton, it describes what a wife is using many metaphors which uses the veristics surrealsim.I think that all of the poems and painting were wierd and extremely difficult to understand. I believe that was the artists and poets intentions in the first place.
Tori Hoyle
Within the article it is pretty much stated that surrealism is a form abstract art. It allows the reader to interpret the work in their own way. One could call it a mix of non-reality with reality. I think that it is the aim of the author or poet to make the work seem to point in one direction, but let the reader point it to a whole new light. Automatists and veristics are the two types of surrealism. Veristic surrealism is using an object to stand as a metaphor for reality. Andre Breton demonstrates such in "Free Union," describing the wife metaphorically. Automatists surrealism is a more distinct form of abstraction, it was used in most of the paintings. If you ask me the movies that we were to watch was kind of weird, as is the other poems we have read and art we have seen within this era. Surrealism is very abstract and different, thats what makes it so interesting to me. It gets me thinking beyond what is really there, turns my lightbulb on.
Na'Kol M. Curtis 4147
i feel like surelism is more of an alternate reality rather than abstraction which is more a distortion of the world that we know. Surelism seems to focus more on the junxtopostion of things that we are readily familiar with but not used to seeing together. Surelism seems prone to make you uneasy or uncomfortable with what you are looking at or the image the work is describeing but it draws you in ebgin so bizzare and other worldly. Some of the surrelist painting sem utterly mundane until you look into the details and see how sort of skewed and strange they are, some of the paintings jump right out at you, like an explosion of color and texture. I think that the surrielest movement is one that is searching for somthing not beyond our reality but deep in our reality the subtleies of the possibilites that we all so readily ignore. THe problem with the surrelist movement for me is that it can be so off the wall and so different that it becomes intimidating. YOu just get lost trying to read too much into it, searching for the meaning when the purpose is just to make you look at things differently and think about ordinary things differently.It is sad that they call surelism dead as it is sad when any artistic movement dies especially when there are a group of artist still persueing the perfection of the art
-ALex Laube
Surrealism pretty much gives you the permission to drop everything that makes sense to you and is logical and go with whatever you want it to be. It crosses lines that weren't crossed before when it comes to how you interpret poems and other forms of art. My two favorite poems are "Language Event One" and "Language Event Two." In my opinion these poems are written in a unique form. I really enjoy seeing how things can just come together perfectly sometimes, while at others there is not much sense to them at all. With the ones that don't make any sense, if you think about them enough you might be able to make a personal connection with it. It's all a matter of how you read and interpret it.
Amber Poinsett
When it comes to all the different types of readings and art we have looked at so far with surrealism I really can connect with the flash art the most. I did enjoy language event one and language event two though, maybe because of the element of surprise that came along with it. It was so interesting how two thoughts from two different people, who possibly didn’t even know each other could either not make sense at all, or create something with such a profound meaning. And while writing about the language events I think I change my mind in which I connected with the most. I still though felt intrigued by some of the flash art I watched. “The Concept of Chance,” was one of the ones I liked the best. It made me think about all the times I have wondered about people. Wondered in the since of looking at someone you don’t know or even someone you supposedly know for that matter and wondering what is going on in their lives. Maybe they look happy or not, looks are deceiving, but I just wonder if my life is like it is, then what is this person’s life like, what are they going through. That is not necessarily what “The Concept of Chance” is about, but it brings up people that cross your path. People, strangers, you might have never seen if they didn’t happen to walk past you on a certain day. Wilson said something like “their false reality can not be deciphered from the conscious mind,” which might have been what made me think of what I did earlier about seeing people and wandering about their lives. If you think about it people do seem to live in a false reality. At times it seems like, at least for me like I’m watching a movie of my life instead of actually living it. And Kevin mentions that you can’t escape chance, because everyday you wake up, you don’t know what is going to happen. Sure you might do the same thing you do everyday, but you don’t know who or what will cross your path and change your life forever. Would Kevin Wilson be considered a Veristic Surrealists?
Brianna Smith
Surrealism is something that I never really had seen until this class. It is a very abstract way of thinking. The poems that we read in the Poems for the Millieum are very good examples of surrealism. They give very detailed images in the poems.
Now that i actually know and have experienced some surrealism i really like it. The pictures and poems really make you think. There is always more than one way to interpret each and every one too. I really liked the example pictures that we had to look at on the web. They were very different from any art that i had every seen before. They were quite interesting.
Kelsey Bowers
The Surrealist movement was formed “based on the principles of consciousness and politics,” aimed at challenging logic and intellect. It dives deep into the psyche, trying to clarify and interpret the innerworkings of the human mind. The poetry, artwork, films, literature, etc. are based on reality, but maintain an aesthetic pleasantness and dreamlike quality. Romanticism is an obvious factor in most work of the Surrealist movement; with love and human interaction playing a large role in the imagery and messages of the poetry. After reading the article provided, examining the paintings (and their titles), and watching the flash films, it seems to me that many Surreal artists use their work to express ideas about and make the reader question life—the politics of it and our daily action. I very much enjoyed the flash film “The Concept of Chance” and the way in which it forces you to question the monotony of our everyday activities, the faces you see and people you encounter, and why things have turned out the way they have so far.
Surrealism takes reality and pushes its limits to broader points of view, making life look different, like it could be so much better.
Katie Rogers
Surrealism... I am not sure whether or not I like the surrealist movement when it comes to art and literature. A lot of the time I find it hard to make the inferred connections behind the individual pieces. The poem that we looked at in class today (the one with the pictures) definately helped me to understand more of what the surrealism movement is all about. The abstract images connected with the juxtoposition of the words I guess the two together is easier to handle than one at a time. I think that we should definately spend more time on Surrealism in class.
Kimberly Grimes 5588
The article gave a better explanation on what surrealism really is. I didnt understand it at first but now i see that it is a form of art that doesnt want to use form. Surrealism takes a thought/dream/or inspiration and tries to put it in words or picture. Surrealism is like the rough draft of the subconscious. It , in a way, is a gateway into an artist mind. It doesnt use form because form hinders the interpretation or even limits it. Now i see why it was so hard for me to understand what the artist in our book was talkin about because they were trying to exspress the almost "unexspressable".
Jonathan Bryant
While I was looking at some of the painting and the movies, some of my classmates in my lab class were asking me what I was looking at. I told them about what we were learning about Surrealism in my intro to poetry class and I explained to them what it was about. I know that surrealism was something totally different from anything that they have heard about. It is different from poerty that people are used to hearing or creating themselves. Surrealism has a goal to "challenge and overturn logic". I is just a different view of expression.
I read the History of Surrealism and there are two types of Surrealism :Automatisits and Veristic. Automatisits is about the the subconscious merging into the conscious and it does not have to have to have a meaning, it is about feelings and not analytical. Veristic is about not looking at things but looking into them. I really enjoy the games and the discussions that we have in class. It makes it so much fun.
Adrienne Mann
Surrealism's goal is to challenge logic and transform the world into a "higher reality". The Surrealists take reality, the expected the everyday, what you see and touch and know and combine it with dreams, the unexpected, the images, thoughts, feelings that develop in another plane of existence. The combination of realities is created through analysis of dreams, chance encounters and collage, juxtaposition of images, and expression without the encumberment of critical faculties.
The word games using questions and answers chosen at random with meaning in the eye of the reader is very indicative of Surrealist thought. The online short flash movies seem to show images at random and then the viewer interprets meaning from what they witness. Max Ernst's images are collages with interesting juxtapositions, the images online show the same format; a hanging white dress with two human breasts pointing out and the rest of the body missing; a pair of shoes with toes and nothing else. These images are dreamlike and combinations of two realities, the expected and the unexpected. The Surrealist image is of a higher reality in meaning and style. The online image of the bird in front of the man's face is a strange picture, something unordinary created from two ordinary objects. The writing in Poems for the Millennium also combines expected statements with strange random thoughts, the true meaning (if there is any) we are left to determine.
Matthew Modrow
Surrealism is dedicated to expressing the imagination as revealed in dreams, free of the conscious control of reason and convention. It is really unexpected. I bet if someone had a surrealist portrait, and said what you think the picture is going to look like, you would have no clue. I think that The Surrealist artists of the early 20th century, such as Brenton, Ernst, and others, wanted to evade the shackles of conventional thought. They succeeded in my opinion. A conventional person probably could not create or think of things that the surrealist artists thought of.
Veristic, I got from the definition was being on the outside looking in, or analyzing an object. Automatism was kind of being more focused on feeling and less analytical. Both have something dealing with feeling and expressing that feeling. I think I am more of a Veristic person or thinker, because I observe things, and then analyze.
~James DeGraffenreid~
I believe what intrigues me most about the surrealist movement whether it be a poem or a work of art is that at first glance you see or hear something out of the ordinary, something that doesn't fit with the rest of the work. When "digging" deeper in class and while looking at the art in "poems for the millinium" I found myself asking a common question. What is that object doing in there. To the instegators eye you see that the object presented in such a displacement mannor has every right to be in the work of art and is very relevant to the meaning of the poem or work of art. The is what I love about surrealism. It is always getting at challenging the mind and logic. I find it generally contradicts it self. even in the prologues. It says something like surrealism is a scientfic way of writing but then it says it also uses chance. To me surrealism is a game of chance pushing the envelope and challenging what we think we know to what we need to instegate furthur to figure out.
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