Surrealist Artist Inspiration

MAX ERNST: 

          Ernst was born on April 2, 1891 in Bruhl, near Cologne. he is the first son of Philip Ernst, teacher of the deaf and amateur painter, and his wife, Luise. .In 1922 he moved to Paris along with friends Gala and Paul Eluard, Tristan Tzara, André Breton, and others. During this year he painted 'A reunion of friends', which depicted his associates. It was after this time that Ernst took an active part in founding the surrealist movement. Breton wrote the first Surrealist manifesto in 1924. Ernst also invented a style of art called frottage in 1925. The technique involves pencil rubbings on paper or canvas and also translated to paint scrapings, called grattage. Ernst completed many paintings with this technique.

Artist's name:  Max Ernst

Title: Aqui Submersus

Date: 1919

Description: Aqui submerses means “submerged in water’. The painting depicts a swimming pool surrounded by buildings which are hand drawn.  A clock hanging in the sky reflects on the water as moon. In the pool there is a female up-side down which looks like as if she is drowning. The statue like figure is made of clay who has a mustache which resembles Ernst’s father.  

Analysis: the painting is done in oil on canvas. Max Ernst has painted this keeping in mind his father so the clay stature features his father signature handle-bar mustache. All layers in the painting are well merged which highly pops up the prints on canvas. The painting looks as if it was painted to give a night scene with different types of shadow and dark and dull colors.

  

Interpretation:  the painting looks really simple when seeing it once, however when it is looked from into it, it shows the real meaning of surrealism since the painitng has many simple designs like buildings and many metaphorical symbols like clock as a moon’s reflection in the pool and the female’s half body in the water.

Judgement: overall the painting is an excellent work that shows surrealism. All the colors, shadows and the mood of the painting makes the painting complete. 

Rene Magritte:

            Rene Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist best known for his witty and thought-provoking images and his use of simple graphics and everyday objects, giving new meanings to familiar things. Before finding success as an artist, Magritte was designed wallpaper and advertisements. After a poorly received solo show in 1927, he moved to Paris and became firmly lodged in the surrealist movement.. Magritte wished to cultivate an approach that avoided the stylist distractions of most modern paintings. While some French surrealists experimented with new techniques, Magritte settles on a deadpan, illustrative technique that clearly articulated the content of his pictures. Repetition was his important strategy, informing not only his handling of motifs within individual.

 Artist's name:  Rene Magritte

Title: Popular Panorama

Date: 1926

Description: Popular panorama- painted by Magritte which is an oil on a canvas painting shows a panorama of three different scenarios

Analysis: in the painting, Magritte has presented 3 strata which form a unit. The two surfaces, with sawed, curvy edges, are simultaneously beach and woodland scenes, but they also suggest the materialist wood. The tonal color applied is a dull greenish grey which gives the painting a oppressive atmosphere. 

Interpretation: the vision of the trees fascinates Magritte’s whole life.  The most interesting thing in the painting are the trunks which shoot straight out of the surface, without any roots.

Judgment:  the artwork reminds of a dream which links up 3 completely different landscapes. It is unusual and though provoking.  This artwork shows a great example of surrealism. 

Comparison:  even though these are two different paintings, they both are created by surrealists artists in oil on canvas which has their respective artists thoughts and life experiences in it.  however, Magritte's painting is more involved with panoramic views showing 3 completely different scenes whereas Ernts's painting is more of straight forward views and easy to interpret but is more symbolic.