Burning Backs
In “A Prophet”, the ghost of the Arab that Malik is forced to kill has a burning back in a dream sequence – and in “Shutters Island”, the ghost of deCaprio’s wife has a burning back – in a dream sequence.
Neither of these facts mean much, except, perhaps, an interesting case of convergent imagery – but they do bring me quite nicely to surrealism.
Surrealists
I used really to love surrealism, but now find the pictures rather boring, for the most part. I think the problem is the lack of painterly qualities inherent, or required by the concept. There are no surfaces; since the purpose is to explore and exploit the subconscious, the skills required are those of the imaginative illustrator. The juxtaposition of unlikely objects demands the ability to depict those objects as clearly as possible – hence, the realism in surrealism. With a few exceptions, the attraction of the paintings and objects rests in the mystery and atmosphere created by the images – the empty, night-time squares and porticos of de Chirico, the nudes on escalators of Delvaux – not in the qualities of the painting itself. The exceptions that occur to me are Gorky, Matta, Lam, Tanguy and Dominguez in Decalcomania mode. You could make a case that the first three are hardly surrealists at all. What about Miro and Picasso? They passed through the movement on their way elsewhere. Dali? Staggering draughtsman, fantastic, memorable images but fits the above description, surely.
Anyway, for interest’s sake, my top ten surrealist pictures (or objects) in order of preference:
1. Joan Miro – Person Throwing a Stone at a Bird (1926). The one with the blobby figure, huge foot and line showing stone’s flight. I’m not even sure it’s surreal – but it’s a great image.
2. Max Ernst – Two Children are Threatened by a Nightingale (1924). Tiny construction, man fleeing across a chalet roof – dreamlike, touch of menace.
3. Man Ray – Gift (1921). The iron with the nails on the bottom. Simple, elegant, funny, dripping with irony.
4. Meret Oppenheim – the furry cup, saucer and spoon (1936). As per Man Ray.
5. Giacometti – The Palace at 4.00am. Like a birdcage – there is a bird in the top section. I love the title; I always get it confused with the Max Ernst Nightingale.
6. Toyen – Silken Feasts (1962). There’s a lot of sex and fetishism in surrealism, of course, since it deals with the subconscious (see Bunuel and footwear); this is one of the sexiest and most fetishistic works.
7. Richard Oelze – Expectation (1936). A crowd in 30s hats and raincoats stare at gathering black clouds across heathland – waiting. I’ve not heard of him other than this, but I found, when I thought of doing this, that this picture sprang to mind before any other.
8. Paul Delvaux – The Iron Age (1951). A naked woman (surprisingly) sits, legs stretched before her, while in the night-time background, a goods train bears down on her from the marshalling yards. Penguin used the background for the cover of Celine’s “Journey to the End of the Night”; even without the woman, it still somehow has a surreal eeriness.
9. Dali – Sleep (1937). The long, sleeping head, propped up on sticks. There could of course, have been several more; the soft watches, the elephants, the crouching figure by the egg, the figure ripping itself apart – but this one came to mind instantly.
10. Magritte. There has to be a Magritte, since he was the most consistent and faithful surrealist in the sense of the juxtaposition of unlikely objects – but I really hate the way he paints women’s nipples, red and angry as if infected. Puts me off him totally; I suppose the one with the broken window, in which the fragments are pieces of sky….
The Killing
I think its Morten, Troels’ researcher. Find out tomorrow.
Listening to Jelly Roll Morton, Sidewalk Blues.
“You’re so dumb, you should be president of the Deaf and Dumb Society!”
“Sorry, Boss; but I’ve got the Sidewalk Blues” – a non sequitur fit for a piece on surrealism.
Sorry – no new paintings yet.
Blackpaint
25.03.11
Blackpaint's Blog 