The abstract surrealism It consists of a pictorial trend that takes some elements of surrealism but gives it an abstract approach, so a kind of pure automatism is applied. This makes any figurative representation fade to introduce new universes created by the artist..
For this reason, abstract surrealism is considered a precursor of abstract painting because this trend introduced the use of automatic aesthetics, which consists in the suppression of rational control in order to let the images and colors that are protected in the space flow freely. subconscious.
Some consider that abstract surrealism is related to the political events that took place in Spain in the 1930s; This is due to the social disappointment that Hispanic society was experiencing at the time due to the civil strife. Consequently, a society disillusioned with reality generated artists who advocated unreal paintings.
Likewise, some critics consider that abstract surrealism was an artistic construction that defended cubist austerity, which allowed the opening to new ways of reading the pictorial intentions of the artists and symbolized another way of approaching the artistic object..
The artists of this trend were characterized by maintaining a lyrical attitude that reflected the authenticity of their works, seeking a balance between improvisation and the creation of an art that reflected the compositional structure. In general terms, this trend can be defined as a synthesis between spirit and form..
Consequently, some establish that abstract surrealism was not only an artistic current but was also a state of mind. For this reason, this trend maintains its reminiscences today because it symbolized a rupture between the spectator and the artist, as well as between the public and the private..
The experts assure that the abstract surrealism influenced in a notorious way some later currents such as situationalism and collage. Its most popular representative was Joan Miró, who was characterized by giving his paintings a fantastic and childish perspective using geometric shapes and colors similar to those of Fovism..
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Abstract surrealism was born as a slope or variation of surrealism; therefore, its origins pass along with the emergence of the latter. Surrealist painters first appeared on the art scene from 1924.
In that year the Surrealist manifesto written by André Bretón, who established that the situation that Spain was experiencing in the postwar period demanded a new type of art that would promote the investigation into the depths of man in order to understand him in its entirety.
Breton was familiar with the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, so he decided to be inspired by the basic theories of psychoanalysis to build his artistic inclinations.
The surrealists supported pure automatism, which implied that the mind should not exert any type of limitation or control at the time of artistic creation..
Through the brush, the artists captured images belonging to the subconscious and to the dreamlike reality, detaching themselves from the laws of the tangible and the possible..
Because of this, it is common to find paintings in which incongruous aspects appear, magical machines, nudes, automata and representations of chaos along with empty perspectives. Forbidden thinking was one of the most notorious inspirations for these creators, who celebrated eroticism and taboos.
The inspiration of the surrealists, regardless of its later aspects, was born from the paintings of Goya, Bosco and other artists such as Valdés Leal. As for its more contemporary influences, Surrealism drew on the metaphysical painting of Giorgio de Chirico and the Dada movement.
Chirico stood out for his bleak paintings in which the disaster and disappointment left by the war could be perceived. Within his work you can see deserted squares along with mannequins and streets that have no limits because they plunge into infinity; this is one of the most notorious antecedents of surrealism.
The slopes of surrealism were mainly two: abstract surrealism, led by Miró, Masson or Klee, who created personal universes following pure automatism; and oneiric surrealism, of a more figurative nature, where the figures of Dalí and Magritte stood out.
The main characteristics of abstract surrealism were the following:
- The defense of pure automatism, in which reason has no place and seeks to achieve a synthesis between the aesthetic form and the human spirit.
- The use of bright and strong colors, mostly warm. The color palette of abstract surrealism is very similar to that used by the Fovistas.
- The creation of own, infinite and immeasurable worlds from cubist and abstract figures.
- The penchant for the human psyche and its forbidden desires.
- Strokes that evoke lines, points and geometric figures that spring from the painter's subconscious.
During an interview, this renowned author stated that it was difficult for him to talk about his paintings, since they were born from states of hallucination caused by a kind of shock for which the painter felt completely irresponsible..
Joan Miró is the most important representative of abstract surrealism, despite the fact that not all his artistic work followed this trend..
Some critics have established that his paintings are full of poetry and simplicity, in which he uses spot colors and pure colors. His most important work is known as The Harlequin Carnival, made in 1924.
In this painting you can perceive a clear abstraction of simple images, similar to children's paintings. The author rejected perspective and painstaking finishing.
He is considered one of the main exponents of abstract surrealism along with Joan Miró. He stood out mainly for using the technique of rub, which consists of rubbing a pencil or a lead lead on a white paper that is supported by an object, leaving the mark of said object on the paper with its irregularities.
The images that emerge from rub they are mysterious and often evoke desolation and catastrophe. His best known work is titled Europe after the rain, made in 1941. In this painting the author used vivid colors typical of nature, such as brown, green and yellow.
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