Why the Soul of Surrealism is in India

Lee Krasner“Nude Study from Life”, 1938.
©2013 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation/ Artists Right Society (ARS), New York.
The Menil Collection, Houston, gift of William J. Hill, in honour of Christopher de Menil.
Courtesy of The Menil Collection, Houston.

If all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players, then where do the Surrealists sit?
 According to my imagined global map of where art movements should be located, the Impressionists are based in the South of France, the Blaue Reiter in Germany, the Nabis in Stockholm, Cubism in Iceland, the Old Masters (da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, etc.) in Italy, Aestheticism in Decorative Arts in Shanghai, Digital Art in Oslo, and Lyrical Abstraction in Tokyo.

Of course, this is entirely subjective, but I think that certain countries, or cities, really do go hand in hand with the style or ideals that various art movements represent.

 In my opinion, Surrealism would be well represented by some small artistic or spiritual commune in India. The theory of Surrealist Automatic Drawing alone represents this to near perfection. The idea is that the drawing comes from allowing your hand to move at random across the page, leaving the image free of logical or rational thought processes, and allowing chance to play a large part in the final result. Another part of the thinking behind this is that, without the logical part of your brain being used, the subconscious also affects the final result – thereby allowing a hidden part of the psyche to be revealed.

“The real functioning of thought”: André Breton (the founder of Surrealism) pinpointed the expression of this as the ultimate aim of Surrealism. So, yes, in my eyes, a spiritual commune in India is the perfect base location for all budding Surrealists. Namaste.

Left:

Ajanta Caves.
Maharashtra, before 2^nd century BCE.
India.

Right:

Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple).
Amritsar, Punjab, 1585-1604.
India.

If you are interested in Surrealism, but a journey to India seems a little far (or far-fetched), the Menil Collection, Houston, is the perfect alternative. Currently hosting the exhibition Late Surrealism, you have until August 25th to get to grips with your subconscious, and those of the artists represented. If you’d prefer to do so in the privacy of your own home, grab a copy of Nathalia Brodskaïa’s Surrealism!

- Fiona Torsch

Erase the line between Genius and Insanity!

Being labelled a genius puts one precariously close to being pigeonholed as insane. Where insanity is recognised as the repetition of the same action over and over, is genius not finally achieving some far-fetched goal, whether it is in science, maths, or art? History is littered with larger than life talents that we still learn about in our studies and discuss with our peers: Einstein, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, etc.

Sandro Botticelli, Study for The Adoration of the Child, c. 1495.
Pen shaded with brown, white heightening, and pink wash, 16.1 x 25.8 cm.
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.

Artists made sketches and drafts of the way the human body works, whether in physical labour or dancing, to better portray the human condition in their paintings. Michelangelo and Degas are not only famous for the Sistine Chapel and Impressionism respectively, but also for the way their images came to life – the strength and beauty of their depictions is only so because of their relentless repetition of drawing the same things over and over again – genius or insane?

The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships

It was Christopher Marlowe who coined the infamous line regarding Helen of Troy; ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’.

I have to say, I do feel sorry for Helen! Put in a position where she was, effectively, responsible for a ten-year war, loss of lives, and the sacking of a city. I ask: was it even her choice to leave Menelaus? Sure, the story goes that she and Paris fell in love and escaped Sparta and her husband by fleeing to Troy. But, really, what if this wasn’t the true story? What if she was actually in love with Menelaus, and was just kidnapped by Paris? Admittedly, if Paris looked like Orlando Bloom in Troy – and let’s face it, with a brother-in-law like Eric Bana... – fair enough, she might well have decided to go.

BUT... this is all Hollywood conjecture. Menelaus could well have been the Channing Tatum of his day, or, admittedly a character who was a little older; Brad Pitt say. Who’s to say he wasn’t? Throw in charming, persistent, influential (hey, he did win Helen’s hand over all her other suitors, right?!), and you’ve got the beginnings of a pretty good match. Additionally, he was friends with Odysseus, who strikes me as a very decent guy (anyone not familiar with The Odyssey and his ten-year journey to get back to his wife and child, you’re missing out!), now, I may be reading too much into it, but I don’t think Odysseus would have been so loyal to an undeserving man. Paris – the young and brash fellow that he was, obviously did not have that much good sense, and on top of that was selfish. Seriously, endangering your whole country for the sake of one woman (who may not actually have wanted to go with him)... that is not an attractive quality in my opinion. You see, Helen had a lot to put up with!


Leonardo da Vinci
Mona Lisa (La Gioconda), c. 1503-1506.
Oil on poplar panel, 77 x 53 cm.
Musée du Louvre, Paris.

 

But it is true, that for many of us, beauty is blinding. A beautiful face (sadly) offers a free pass to many things in life, whether it is a cancelled parking ticket, free entry to a club, or free dinner/groceries/drinks, you name it. It has happened. And will happen again. But this is shallow beauty. Once you have met beauty, invariably, you also meet the beast. A pretty exterior unfortunately often comes with an ugly interior – shallowness, vanity, selfishness. This, of course, is not always the case, and I’m sure that many people would say, very rarely the case. But think about it, a face filled with character, one which is not classically beautiful, may often be much more intriguing than that which we have been told is classically beautiful.

Michelangelo
David, 1504.
Marble, 434 cm.
Galleria dell’Academia, Florence.

Take the Mona Lisa – I’d go as far to say that she is not beautiful, but she is certainly enigmatic! She has been a mystery for centuries... who or what inspired her smile?

In a similar manner, The Laughing Cavalier also causes great speculation. Whilst Michelangelo’s David is supposed to be the bees’ knees in terms of masculine perfection, in my opinion, The Laughing Cavalier is far more interesting  - all because of the facial expression.

Helen of Troy, I fear, in all her beauty, lacked this quality of unusualness. It is for this reason (I admit, this is my own personal speculation) why she was regarded as a possession rather than a person: to be stolen away, and then fought over, like a child’s toy. Is this the future that anybody actually aspires to when they wish for beauty? The expression ‘Be careful what you wish for’ springs to mind!

 

 

To appreciate the beauty of the unusual and the enigmatic, the BP Portrait Awards exhibition at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery is the must-see exhibition of the New Year. On display until January 27^th, 2013, the very best of contemporary portraits showcase the beautiful, the tender, the surprising, and the insightful renderings of the artists’ perceptions of themselves and the people around them. Not to be missed, there is no excuse not to see this inspirational exhibit, especially as it is free of charge! However, if you really cannot make it to Edinburgh, do the next best thing, and check out 1000 Portraits of Genius, written by Victoria Charles and Klaus H. Carl. In this book you will be able to find for yourselves the quirks and the idiosyncrasies which make a face memorable or not: who will become your new Mona Lisa?

Living Marble Masterpieces

I grew up about an hour outside of Philadelphia – a hub of culture, art, and United States history. Being introduced to the arts and science (I still, in my late twenties, love to touch things in the Franklin Institute) at a young age, Auguste Rodin’s sculptures are amongst my earlier memories. I always stared at them the longest and hardest, waiting for them to breathe. You should also know I stood quite a distance away because works like Adam (bronze, modelled 1880-1881) are fairly frightening for a ten year old.

It’s said that marble is the most flesh-like material; naturally cold and hard, it needs to be warm and supple to produce the desired effect. An effect which Rodin always managed to take a bit further in all of his works, whether marble, bronze, or plaster. Viewing the lovers of Eternal Springtime (Philadelphia Art Museum, plaster, modelled 1884), it appears as if they are simply holding their breath for passers-by because they’ve been caught in a private moment and hope to be ignored so they can continue with their business.


(Okay, not the one in the Philadelphia Art Museum of which I boasted, but equally good!)
August Rodin, Eternal Spring, or Eternal Springtime, probably modelled 1881, executed 1906-1907.
Marble, 71.1 cm.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Greatly admiring Michelangelo, Rodin strove to equal his mastery of the human body so far as giving life to his statues. I would argue that Rodin accomplished this goal many times over, before even travelling to Italy to better study Michelangelo’s works. Depending on the piece, sadness, happiness, strength, despair, or love exudes from Rodin’s masterpieces.

The Danaïd daughters, subsequent to murdering their husbands after betrothal (49 of the 50 girls), were sentenced to the Underworld and forced to carry a jug of water to fill a bottomless bath to wash away their sins. In Rodin’s recreation, the back is beautifully rendered, as is the nape of her neck, but most of all she oozes despair at the profound error of her sin.


Auguste Rodin, Danaïd, 1889.
Marble, 36 x 71 x 53 cm.
Musée Rodin, Paris.

The Musée Rodin, already a breeding ground for magnificence and splendour, is exhibiting Rodin, flesh and marble now through 1 September 2013. You’ve got plenty of time to go and experience all of the emotions and see the intricacies of Rodin’s masterworks. Also, Auguste Rodin by Rilke is sure to be a much appreciated gift this holiday season! Wonderfully written and breathtakingly illustrated, don’t miss out on these books (Rodin by Rilke) about nearly-modern day Rodin!

-Le Lorrain Andrews