Surrealism - More Than Just Bizarre

Baring in mind that personally I admire impressionism the most among all artistic movements, I dare say that I believe surrealism is receiving more critique than it actually should, and this criticism comes mostly from those who prefer more classic art. Of course, I can say without a doubt that Michelangelo, da Vinci or Monet are one of the most important, as well as best, artists in the world (artists, because paintings are not their only legacy), but I also strongly believe that de Chirico, Dali, Magritte and Ernst (just to list a few surrealist artists), should be mentioned as well, without one having the urge to deny such statement.

The goal of surrealism is to do exactly what it's name says: be surreal. One should not expect the classic straight colons, the renaissance perspective or the baroque embellishments. The same goes for the themes and motives, surrealism pushes the limits of our every day, realistic per say, shapes, colors and visages we are already used to. Surrealism does not always seek to show you the beauty that lies in nature, nor does it seek to convey the impact that an impression left on the artist. Therefore, surrealists should not be judged as if their job and goal was to portray something classic, something believable, something real.

Although, as I have already said, I do enjoy more the beauty of classic paintings, impressionism mostly, being that Monet is my favorite artist, and yes, I had fought quite a battle with myself trying to understand and learn to appreciate surrealism, I have managed to understand that we do need our boundaries and our limits to be pushed, as well as tested. What I first experienced while gazing at Dali's paintings was some sort of feeling as if I were uneasy with what I see, it just caused a negative feeling burning inside me, which screamed that I should look away and focus on something else. My advice is, for people who are beginners in the art of surrealism as I was once, to begin with something that still preserves some forms or motives from the movements which preceded surrealism. Dali is difficult to understand, so are many others, so I suppose seeing familiar elements in an unfamiliar surrounding is much easier to digest than seeing new (strange) elements in an even more new (strange) setting. So, while browsing the many artists surrealism inspired, I stumbled upon de Chirico, who I comprehended almost immediately, and whose paintings I found quite pleasant. Why not start with him? Here are some examples of de Chirico's paintings which, you will surely notice, have certain liaisons with the renaissance.

Now, for some Dali, just to portray the difference between them ( of course, I am not trying to say that one is better than the other, just that they painted in different manners and had different ideas to convey, perhaps many of you will find it better to start with Dali than with de Chirico, I am just trying to explain my personal experience):

To conclude: there is no judgement in art, there is no painting that is better than another one, there is no sculpture that is more important than another one, quite the opposite. Art is subjective, there is no doubt about it. What we should be is open-minded, and let the art take us away, to another place, another time, another universe, let it touch our raw emotions, let it show you the different shades and specters of emotion you can feel. There is always something about ourselves we can learn through art, our subconsciousness is a field of untouched (or rarely touched), gold. That is what art should do, and that should be our criteria for determining if something is artistic or not, instead of searching immediately for complicity and beauty in artistic works.

What is your favorite surrealist painting? Share your experience with me!

With love,
Encantada