These are my impressions and comments on various pieces of artwork that we have studied in Unit 2 during this course:

Max Ernst: “Europe after the Rain”

Max Ernst’s “Europe after the Rain” impresses me with the detail. As an impatient, yet detail oriented individual, I appreciate the skill, time and focus that it took to create such an intricate work. This piece reminds me of scenes from many of today’s movies such as “Am I Legend” where the world has been destroyed and a

wasteland is left.

 Although this piece was done between 1940-2 it is imagery which is very plausible and we see it in “disaster” type films.  The artist also used a different process called decalcomania where he took paint from one surface and lifted it onto another. That may the reason for the different look and feel of this painting. Despite the “wasted” aspect of this piece, the colors are actually quite bright which somewhat contradicts what an actual wasteland would look like. There appears to be two people in the center to the right side of the piece. Adding to the darkness of the piece is that one person looks like they are hanged by some sort of limb or string attached to one of the structures which could be a tree or house, but is indistinguishable. This is considered a work from the Surrealism period.

Joan Miro: “The Harlequin’s Carnival “ (Le Carnaval d'Arlequin)

I absolutely love bright colors that catch my attention and pull me in. This piece was painted by Miro during the Surrealism period. Surrealism’s goal was to pull dreams and the psychosis often found in dreams to the surface. Crossing the line between fantasy, the grotesque, the shocking and the deviant were goals of this style. This piece interests me so much because it looks like what the mind of a child would produce. It does resemble a child’s nursery with what could be toys, dolls and balls although the images are not that clearly defined. But the innocence and hopefulness of the painting as seen in the vivid images, easily reflect the imaginations of a child that are found deep inside of us even once we have grown up to become adults.

Gino Severini. “Dynamic Hieroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin.”

This work by Severini strongly favors the Cubist style; however it is not using cube type structures as components of the piece. Considered a Futurist piece, though it was not as dark, mechanical and impersonal as other pieces during that period, it is quite colorful. It is wavy and appears to have overlapping bows and semi- circular patterns. This gives it a softer look and the pastel and rich autumn-like colors also give it a warmer and more pleasant feel. It is still quite abstract which is similar to Cubist work, however, the words lightly painted in it, and the curlicues painted throughout; make it more visually appealing and ‘natural’ looking than the void and empty look found in Cubist artwork.

Hattie Carnegie against Man Ray's painting "Observatory Time - The Lovers"

As a fan of photography that depicts people, scenes and nature, the impact of Surrealism on this art form is quite interesting. This piece was done for “Harper’s Bazaar” magazine and was created for commercial purpose. But as we see in much of the photography in fashion and advertising today, such pictures can be breathtakingly beautiful when they capture images in an excellent manner. Since photography is such an instantaneous type of art, capturing a look or movement at exactly the right moment can be priceless. The lovely model and dreamy look on her face as she reaches up towards the unusual painting perfectly pulls together the goal of Surrealism in presenting unrealistic, fantasy based depictions which combine the conscious and subconscious operations of the mind. We would never see a huge pair of lips floating above an oasis, but the model  seems to be trying to touch the impossible image with a look of contentment and possibility on her face. Very unique picture indeed.

René Magritte: “The Empire of Lights”

This is my absolute favorite piece of all the artworks from the Surrealism period discussed in our textbook. One reason is that this painting perfectly exemplifies what happens in a dream. Things are often turned around, structures and people are often incomplete, or impossible configurations appear in our dreams. The house in this picture and the surrounding environment are all overcast as though it is night while a bright blue sky signifying daylight shines above it. The second reason that I like this piece so much is because it was painted so well that it looks like a photograph – a photograph that could never occur in real life – but it is so accurate that it looks real. The shimmering water and the dim lights are so detailed and picturesque. I am amazed at Magritte’s ability and his imagination in coming up with such a fantastic idea and painting it so realistically.

Alberto Giacometti: “The Invisible Object (Hands Holding the Void)” 

Although there is no indication or suggestion on the part of Giacometti of having been influenced in this manner, when viewing this sculpture, there appears to be an African influence. The face is reminiscent of African wooden masks which often have flattened features and a long oval type of extended shape. In addition to the mask like similarity of African art, the nude body of the sculture brings to mind the images of many tribal African women. The extreme heat and need for minimal attire to achieve coolness led to many women donning only waist skirts, jewelry and head dressings while they were bare above the waist. This sculpture reminds me of pictures of these beautiful tribal African women who conducted daily life while minimally clothed.

And this final piece by Max Ernst is included based on the same connection…

Max Ernst: “Capricorn”

This magnificent piece clearly represents the regal and strong essence of Africa. On what appears to be a throne, is seated a person who is obviously some type of royalty. The imagery of African people and the animals found there are portrayed in this intricately constructed sculpture(s). The cane is a an item commonly found in some African cultures. The animal like creature carved onto the right arm/side of the throne bears resemblance to a lynx or other animal. The dark rich tone of the entire piece represents the dark rich tone of African people. Although the figure carved separately to the right of the ‘king’ is not distinctly recognizable, it is tall and powerful  in its presence.  All the facial areas on the structures remind one of the African masks that may be long and oval or rounded with adornments around them. This is yet another piece from the Surrealism period. Once again, the blending of realistic imagery with unusually fashioned and impossible configurations, results in the successful creation of work that supports the goal and vision of the Surrealism movement.