Surrealism and Self Portrait Concepts

Surrealism

• Definition: Surrealism is an art style influenced by Freudian psychology that emphasizes fantasy and is said to be revealed by the subconscious through the use of automatic techniques.

  • Key Quote: "The pure automatism by which is intended to express…the true function of thought" - Andre Breton

• Key Techniques and Concepts:

  • Decalcomania:
  • A process of applying paint to canvas, covering the wet paint with another flat material (e.g., aluminum foil) and removing the material while still wet.
  • Automatism:
  • A technique in which the hand moves across a surface without rational planning or intention.
  • Psychoanalytic Thinking:
  • A method for bringing to light certain subconscious influences on behavior and mental states.
  • Symbolism:
  • The use of marks or signs with special meanings for individual expression.
  • Biomorphism:
  • Distortion of objects into irregular shapes resembling freely developed curves found in living organisms.

• Notable Surrealist Artists and Their Contexts:

  • Pre-Colombian Symbols:
  • Frida Kahlo (Mexico)
  • Maria Izquierdo (Mexico)
  • Leonora Carrington (England/Mexico)
  • Political Symbols and Ideologies:
  • David Alfaro Siqueiros (Mexico)
  • Rufino Tamayo (Mexico)
  • Abstraction in Printing:
  • Wilfredo Lam (Cuba)
  • Wolfgang Paaren (Germany/Austria/Mexico)

Self Portrait

• Definition: A self portrait is a representation of an artist, created through drawing, painting, photography, or sculpture by that same artist.

• Symmetry Concepts:

  • Symmetry:
  • The mirror-like repetition of appearances on both sides of an imaginary central axis.
  • Approximate Symmetry:
  • The use of similar imagery on both sides of a central axis, varying the imagery to prevent monotony.
  • Asymmetry:
  • Having unlike appearances; an uneven distribution of parts.

• Common Facial Proportions:

  1. Eyes are located halfway between the skull and chin.
  2. The bottom of the nose and eyebrow divides the space from the hairline to chin into thirds.
  3. The center of the mouth divides the space from the nose to chin into thirds.
  4. Ears: the top aligns with the eyebrow, and the bottom aligns with the nose.
  5. Eye width is divided into fifths along a vertical eye-line (space-eye-space-eye-space).