SURREALISM

                             "JOURNEY"  by Parker Kaufman

The dictionary defines SURREALISM as;  "pure psychic automatism, by which one proposes to express the real functioning of thought.  Dictation of thought in the absence of all control exercised by reason, outside of all aesthetic and moral perception"

That's a heavy definition.

As a cultural shift, Surrealism began in the early 1920's and is most noted for it's writings and visual art.  Andre Breton led the movement which aimed at blurring the line between dreams and reality.  Paris was the epicenter and the cultural phenomenon quickly spread world-wide.

Surrealists painted shocking, illogical scenes, using revolutionary painting techniques, the element of surprise and stark juxtapositions to bring the unconcious self to full expression.

The idea of using contradictory objects within the same frame is best explained in a quote from an essay by poet Pierre Reverdy which reads; "a juxtaposition of two more or less distant realities.  The more the relationship between the two juxtaposed realities is distant and true, the stronger the image will be -- the greater it's emotional power and poetic reality".

I find this form of artistic expression very exciting and challenging.  It is the perfect metaphor for all the traffic in my head.  There is no requirement that it be pretty or make sense, but simply that it speaks to the full range of one's imagination.

"JOURNEY"  by Parker Kaufman, seen above was inspired by the works of Salvador Dali.