Understand Surrealist
Craft
Surrealist Craft came to prominence during the 1920s. This cultural movement incorporated non-linear, sometimes nonsensical images and styles that defied prevalent, earthy Craft. Many artists around the microcosm adapted this loose style for drawings, paintings, sculptures and other Craft forms. Surrealism flourished in Paris after Sphere Warfare I, where artist Andre Breton wrote the Surrealist Manifesto in 1924. It doesn't matter if the images "make sense." Surrealism is about self-expression and emotion.
Acquaint yourself with the great, non-sequitur images of works by Adult Stream, Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte and others. Arguably, Magritte's most noted portrayal "The Sonny of Adult" features a person in a bowler bowler with a burgeoning apple obscuring his face. Surrealist Craft plays with person episode, images and cast, and leaves the viewer wondering "What does it close?"
2. Sojourn your local museum. The Los Angeles County Museum of Craft (LACMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Craft in Modern York and Chicago's Craft Institute feature surrealist paintings by Magritte, Dali and others in their permanent collections, and often feature special exhibition by other surrealists. Even small town galleries feature surrealist work by local artists.
3. Study surrealism by attending a class at your local college or museum. Many schools offer non-credit art appreciation courses in their adult education programs. Museums and art galleries sometime have free or low-cost seminars where students can learn about techniques and history behind the artwork they admire.
4. Progress to the appreciation of surrealistic art films. Famous movies such as Alejandro Jodorowsky's "El Topo" and Maya Deren's short film "Meshes of the Afternoon" included seemingly unrelated images and situations that intrigue and frighten movie-goers and make them think.
5. Try your hand at surreal art. Get colored pencils, watercolor and artist paper and improvise, or simply sketch stream of consciousness images on a pad of paper. Surrealism methods and dominion writing and movie.
