Month: November 2021

Tragedy Inspires A New Movement

Its no question that World War One greatly impacted the entire world in many different ways. The war’s impact on art was no different, after the war, a new movement called the “Surrealist Movement” was created. Surrealism is truly unique when compared to other art movements, the creation can be attributed to many things but most of all to André Breton who wrote the manifesto of surrealism. Surrealism was not just visual art but also took form in writing, films, and photography. The surrealism movement implemented theories and ideas from the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud and used his ideas about the unconscious as inspiration for the beginning works of this movement. The surrealist movement stemmed out of the dadaism movement, and while both movements have elements of absurdity, they are quite different.

A Sail Is Set For The New Wave

With a new art form created, many new artists gained recognition for their work in the surrealist area. Among these artists, some notable ones include, Max Ernst, Picasso, Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, and many others. These artists’ works and influence would go far beyond the actual movement and inspire many works of art today. Surrealist artwork is very dream-like, a lot of the time they include regular objects. However, the way these objects are added in the compositions was truly strange and different from paintings before them. It seems like the point of surrealism is to defy logic and to truly replicate the seemingly random nature of the human unconscious. After World War One there seemed to have been a break from typical life in all aspects. War so big had never been seen before so it makes sense that the art movement that came out of it also be something completely different from traditional work.

Fueling The Imagination

II enjoy surrealism, it hits a note that most other art movements lack. I enjoy art in general because it lets my brain take an escape and wander into the paintings created, and surrealism specifically gives my imagination much to work with. I seem to spend a lot of my time just in my head, imagining fake worlds and imaginary situations, constantly drifting in and out of reality. Because of this, surrealism is something that my inner mind can relate to, a nonsensical land where nothing makes sense, just like dreams. Surrealism in its purest form is meant to be confusing to the conscience yet still resonates with us because it is familiar to a part of us that we do not commonly explore. The mind is a brilliant yet very complex thing so it makes sense that an art movement would be created with a similar idea.

Work Cited.

Anirudh. (2018, September 12). Anirudh. Learnodo Newtonic. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://learnodo-newtonic.com/surrealism-facts.

Craven, J. (2019, August 19). These artists thrived on dreams – discover their surreal world. ThoughtCo. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-surrealism-183312.

Fronzuto, S. A. (2015, November 6). Surrealism and the influences of World War I. Scott Fronzuto. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://safronzuto.wordpress.com/2015/11/06/surrealism-and-the-influences-of-world-war-i/.

Voorhies, J. (2004, October). Surrealism. Metmuseum.org. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/surr/hd_surr.htm.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, November 27). Surrealism. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 30, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism.

Gertrude Abercrombie was born in Texas on February 17, 1909, and died April 3, 1977. She was primarily based in Chicago and has been given the title, “the queen of bohemian artists”. She has said in interviews that she always paints herself, and from that, we can grasp that her artwork is a heavy representation of herself and her feelings. She was very popular in the Chicago art scene as well as the Chicago Jazz scene and worked with many musicians. I love her artwork, and in my opinion, the feeling I get from these works is a sense of comfort even in the eery scenes depicted. She uses very simple scenes that give me a feeling that could not be if her work was busier. Certain elements reoccur and there is a superstitious feeling to a lot of her work with items such as witches, brooms, owls, black cats and more. I love surrealist work and I believe that Gertrude has truly mastered the techniques and feelings that come with the style.

Work Cited.

Selvin, C. (2020, December 7). How Gertrude Abercrombie cultivated her own surrealist language. ARTnews.com. Retrieved November 19, 2021, from https://www.artnews.com/art-news/artists/gertrude-abercrombie-who-is-she-famous-works-1234578346/.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, June 3). Gertrude Abercrombie. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 19, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Abercrombie.

Brothers Like No Others

Auguste and Louis Lumiére were the two brothers known for the creation of the Cinématograph, revolutionizing the camera and being responsible for being some of the earliest filmmakers. Born in France in the 19th century, they grew up surrounded by photography and film and because of that, it would eventually lead them to revolutionize the very thing they were constantly surrounded by. Life was not always easy for the Lumiere brothers and in 1882 their father’s workshop which produced photographic plates (the way photography was produced before film roles) seemed like it was about to fail. However, due to the brother’s intuition, they were able to create a way to change the way that their dad’s photographic plates worked which saved their family business from failure.

Cinématograph Creates Cinema

It is no doubt that the Cinématograph changed film forever, while modern-day cameras look much different than this one, none of them would have ever existed if it weren’t for their revolutionary predecessor. The Cinématograph was a multi-use invention because it could double as a projector as well as being a camera. Before the Cinématograph was the Kinetograph, but the problem with that camera was that it was incredibly heavy and battery-powered, whereas the Cinématograph was lightweight and was manually powered by cranking it by hand. Almost equally as important as this new invention was the short films that came with it. The Lumiére brothers created their first film, “Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory” in 1895 which would change history forever. This film was the first glimpse into the endless potential of possibilities for what film is and could become.

Lumiéres Impact On Modern Times

Many people, myself included, have the Lumiére brothers to thank for their impact on modern-day cinema. Because without them, there is a good chance we would not be in the same place today when it comes to movies. The Lumiéres and their inventions have served as a building block for movies. New technology constantly builds upon each other and, the Cinématograph was the starting point for that evolution. While I enjoy many different art forms, movies will most likely always be my favourite way of experiencing story-telling. There is something truly magical about cinema, the range of emotions that can be portrayed and experienced by viewers is unmatched. I truly wouldn’t be inspired to create the way that I do if I didn’t have the influence of film in my life. So many memories for me have been made through the experience of movies in my life and, I honestly wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for the help of the Lumiére brothers.

Work Cited.

Auguste and Louis Lumière. (2021, September 21). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_and_Louis_Lumière.

Cinematograph. (2021, September 16). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematograph

Cinématographe. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/technology/Cinematographe.

Photographic plate. (2021, September 10). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_plate.

For my project, I decided to do it on the Arts and Crafts movement. I really like a lot of the work that came out of that era and decided to replicate a particular piece that fascinates me. Before I started to create my cover I needed to figure out how I was going to present it. Since the artwork I was replicating was a book cover, I thought I could combine the info and cover into one continuous work. So on the front cover is the actual cover that I replicated and on the back cover is the info about the artifact as well as the spine of the book being my name. My reasoning for the picture is simple, I wanted someone who looked like they could be from the 19th century to be reading the book to further implicate what it is. As well as this I decided to edit the background into an image from the 1800s and to colour grade the photo to fit the theme of being from that time period. I would say that overall I am proud of the work that I was able to create especially considering how tedious doing all of the ink work on the front cover was. if I were to grade myself I would give myself an 8.5/10. I spent a total of a little over 10 hours which is why I believe that grade is fair for my effort and overall work.

Work Cited.

Arts and Crafts movement. (2021, October 22). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arts_and_Crafts_movement.

Century Guild of Artists. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.artbiogs.co.uk/2/societies/century-guild-artists.

Dewitt, E. (2020, September 04). 50 photos from American life in the 19th century. Retrieved from https://stacker.com/stories/4000/50-photos-american-life-19th-century.

V&A · Introducing William Morris. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/introducing-william-morris.

Wren’s City Churches. (2015). Retrieved from https://victorianweb.org/art/design/mackmurdo/21.html.

Art Like No Other

I have always been fascinated with the surrealism movement. While I admit that I do not know many details about it, I am always moved when I see I work of surrealism. Perhaps it is the abstractness of it all, or perhaps certain surrealist artworks remind me of dreams I cannot remember. There is something in these works that gives me a certain feeling that I cannot explain. Surrealist works often work outside of the realm of what is real and what we as humans are used to seeing in our lives. However, I or anyone for that matter would not be able to enjoy such works if it wasn’t for a man named J. J. Grandville, who is known for being a forefather of the surrealist genre of art.

The Real Man Behind A Surreal Movement

J. J. Grandville or known by his real name Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard, was born on September 13, 1803 and died March 17, 1847. While his life may have been short, his impact lives on today. His father taught him to draw, and he was skilled in many mediums of art such as drawing, printmaking, painting etc. During the 19th century, satirical writing and drawing became very popular, and because of this popularity, Grandville found himself gaining recognition as a well-known satirist. He was also known for making political cartoons, and his images that depict people with animal faces are very well known. Grandville is very notable in the contribution of illustration in the format of books and he paved the way for many artists after him.

The Extraordinary Impact of The Extraordinary

Grandville was very ahead of his time in terms of his art. The surrealism movement did not start until the 1920s, but many artists have since taken inspiration from Grandville. Grandville’s impact can not just be seen on the artists of surrealism but also on many different pop culture works. His work has been used in such things as an album cover for the band “Queen”, as well as comics and video games using his artwork and style. Perhaps his revolutionary illustrations and ideas were caused by his intense mental problems, or perhaps they are a result of his sense of humour. Whatever the case is, Grandville is clearly one of the most influential and I would say interesting artists and people of his time.

Work Cited.

“Aviary Attorney.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviary_Attorney.

“Collections Online: British Museum.” Collections Online | British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG29591.

“Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard Grandville.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Ignace_Isidore_Gérard_Grandville.

Manty, Kris. “The Wonderfully Odd World of French Artist J. J. Grandville.” Antique Trader, Antique Trader, 8 Apr. 2020, https://www.antiquetrader.com/art/the-wonderfully-odd-world-of-french-artist-j-j-grandville.