Art is the Solution

Birthday Source: Philadelphia Museum of Art It’s hard to define Surrealist art because each and every Surrealist artist had an incredibly unique style. Yet, even so, American Surrealist Dorothea Tanning had an approach to art that was singular, even by Surrealist standards. Like many artists of her cohort, Tanning lived an incredible life. She lived to the age of 101, living through both World Wars and a number of other world-changing events. Tanning continued to create art until the end of her life, producing paintings, sculptures, and writings, including poetry. Her self-portrait entitled Birthday is one of her most famous paintings, and it is often cited as the first example of Tanning’s Surrealist style. The painting made Tanning’s work famous after it was chosen by painter Max Ernst to be included in an exhibition of work by female painters. The piece shows Tanning in a strange costume that seems to be growing out of her body. A strange, furry animal stands at her feet as she...

The Troubadour Source: Sothebys I am often captivated by the paintings of Spanish-Mexican painter Remedios Varo. Varo was one of the most creative artists of her age, employing a complex set of symbols and visual story-telling techniques to convey meaning. As a result, her paintings often conjure images of some half-imagined, legendary past, steeped in magic. The Troubadour is one of her most beautiful and magical paintings. The piece depicts a man in a small boat with a female masthead sailing down a river through an enchanted forest. A woman who appears to be some sort of wood nymph plays a pipe on the banks of the river, while birds look on. Compositionally and stylistically, the piece owes much to European medieval art, making reference to traditional depictions of troubadours and manuscript illumination styles. This choice was not accidental. The piece was inspired by an expedition down the Orinoco River in Venezuela, which Varo participated in. This trip was hugely influentia...

Melencolia Source: MET Museum German artist Albrecht Dürer was probably one of the most influential artists of the early modern age. Dürer was one of the first artists to take advantage of the printing press as a way to promote his work and himself as an artist. He did this in part by developing a unique signature, which survived as a kind of copyright mark, and he became one of the first artists to consistently sign his work. This branding allowed for widespread demand for his work, especially his prints. Dürer created a wide portfolio of prints (which mostly depicted religious scenes) that became household images that are now permanently ingrained in the collective psyche. One of Dürer’s most famous prints is entitled Melencolia , and I guarantee you’ve seen it before. It is one of the best-known pieces of art from the sixteenth century and is widely reproduced in textbooks and as wall art. Although the print is widely known, the meaning of the piece is hotly contested, and there...

Astro Errante Source: Sothebys Spanish-Mexican artist Remedios Varo was one the most creative artists of her age. After fleeing Europe during World War II, Varo became one of the leaders of the famed Mexican Surrealist movement. Varo’s work is highly original and inventive, and used her painting to explore the boundary between the real and the fantastical. Astro Errante (which translates to The Wandering Star ) is an excellent example of her whimsical and playful style. The piece depicts an orange figure with a sun-shaped head. The figure is shrouded in a grey cloak as he walks across a dark sky. It is a beautiful and charming painting on its own merit, and the theme is so universal that the piece can stand on its own without much explanation. However, there are some obvious allusions here. The wandering star in this painting is scientifically accurate. Rather than a traditional, five-pointed star, Varo has chosen to depict the star as a burning ball of gas like our sun. Here, we ...

La Loge de Theatre Source: Wikimedia Commons Swiss-French artist Felix Vallotton’s paintings are often labeled unsettling and dynamic and La Loge de Theatre (which translates to Box Seats at the Theater) is no different. Vallotton developed his unique and startling artistic style in the rich and vibrant milieu of the Parisian artistic scene. In the wake of the Impressionist movement, Post-Impressionist artists like Vallotton sought to challenge the rules and conventions of art in new and interesting ways. Vallotton accomplished this by imbuing his paintings with a sense of authenticity and psychological reality. La Loge de Theatre is a fine example of this quality in his work. The piece depicts a man and a woman sitting in a theatre box, gazing down at the viewer from behind the yellow wall of the box. Compositionally, it is quite a strange painting. The two figures are drawn back from the edge of the box, barely visible over the edge of the balcony. In fact, the man’s face is on...

Une Loge aux Théâtre des Italiens Source: Web Gallery of Art French artist Eva Gonzalès was one of the most important female painters of the male-dominated Impressionist movement. Gonzalès was raised among the art and literary circles of Paris, and she began painting at a young age. However, Gonzalès truly entered the art world when she became a student of the great Impressionist painter Édouard Manet. The two had a very close relationship and drew inspiration from each other. The artists died within three days of each other and remained friends until the end. After studying with Manet, Gonzalès developed a similar style; although, Gonzalès focused on interior scenes that highlight women and favored a more neutral color scheme.  Une Loge aux Théâtre des Italiens  is probably her most famous painting, and is an excellent example of her style. As the title suggests, the piece depicts a woman and a man in a theatre box. The woman seems to be watching the performance, while ...

The White Cat Source: Artcyclopedia German artist Franz Marc is best known for his colorful paintings of animals. Marc was one of the leaders of the Expressionist movement, which has its roots in the Romantic and Symbolist styles. Like Romanticism, Expressionism seeks to depict a psychological landscape; it aims to portray the emotional reality of either the subject or the artist. Marc achieved this goal by painting animals, which he felt a strong emotional connection to. Although Marc frequently painted wild or barnyard animals, he also produced many paintings and drawings of domestic cats throughout his career. Like many artists, Marc was evidently drawn to the grace and elegance that cats display. Marc tended to paint animals in natural poses and environments, and, in The White Cat , the subject is curled into a typical feline sleeping pose. Marc used a complex system of color coding to imbue meaning in his paintings. In this case, the cat’s white fur is a symbol of its innocenc...

Ni así la Distingue Source: Museo del Prado Spanish artist Francisco Goya is known as one of the leading artists of the Enlightenment period. The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that developed in eighteenth century Europe; the movement encouraged people and governments to act in more logical and rational ways that were based on scientific study and observation of the natural world. Goya, as a member of the Enlightenment movement, was particularly bothered by superstition and backwards social customs more generally. In a series of prints entitled Los Caprichos, Goya set out to identify and criticize the many faults of Spanish society, which was mired in centuries-old superstitions, corruption, and outdated social customs at the time. Goya was particularly interested in exploring the relationships between men and women, which were disproportionately dominated by hypocrisy and exploitation at the time. A large number of the Los Caprichos prints focused on this theme. Ni a...

Portrait of Lucha Maria, A Girl from Tehuacan Source:  fridakahlo.org Although Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is best known for her self-portraits, her own body was far from her only subject. In fact, some of Kahlo’s finest paintings comprise other topics, such as Portrait of Lucha Maria, A Girl from Tehuacan . The painting depicts a young girl sitting on a rock in a desert. A black and white shawl is wrapped around her shoulders and she holds an airplane in her hands, perhaps a reference to World War II. In the background, the sky is divided into day and night, a motif that Kahlo returned to throughout her artistic career. Each half of the painting contains either the sun or the moon and a pre-Columbian pyramid, standing alone and stark in the barren landscape. As the painting is explicitly set in Tehuacan, these pyramids can be read as a reference to Teotihuacan, a pre-Columbian archeological site. Teotihuacan is famous for its two pyramids: known as the Pyramid of the Moon and t...

The Creation of Birds Source: eugenefischer.com The work of Spanish-Mexican Surrealist painter Remedios Varo is sometimes playful and sometimes moving, but it is always wildly creative and fantastically original. Varo is one of my favorite artists to write about because her work is so strange (strange in the most delightful way, I might add). After fleeing Europe during World War II, Varo became one of the leaders of the famed Mexican Surrealist movement. Although Mexican influences are not obvious in her art, she captured the elements of fantasticism that are so common in Mexican art. She used her painting to bring this fantastical world to light and to explore the emotional and psychological responses it occasions. Varo was influenced by religious mysticism and magic, and it is clear that she tried to infuse spiritual meaning into her paintings.  The Creation of Birds (Detail) Source: Pinterest The Creation of The Birds demonstrates this quality within her work. T...

The Abandoned Doll Source: National Museum of Women in the Arts Impressionist painter Suzanne Valadon had a long and complex journey to becoming an artist. She began her career in the art world as a model as a circus performer; through this job, Valadon met many of the leading artists of the day and began modeling for them after a trapeze accident forced her to leave that job. She modeled for artists such as Théophile Steinlen and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, observing their artistic techniques all the while. After giving up her work as a model, Valadon set herself up as an artist in her own right and began painting full-time. The Abandoned Doll is one of her most memorable paintings. The painting depicts a nude girl sitting on a bed; she is being toweled dry by an older woman as she gazes into a small hand mirror. The pink bow in her hair suggests youth, although her maturing body and a discarded doll lying on the ground signals that the girl’s childhood is over and she is prepar...

Viernes de Dolores Source: Google Arts and Culture When it comes to discussions about Mexican art, the name of painter María Izquierdo is often overlooked. Her art was under-appreciated during her own life and continued to be under-appreciated after her death; it is only recently that art historians have begun to recognize and acknowledge the importance of her work. Izquierdo’s art was uniquely Mexican. She ought to capture the heart and soul of Mexican culture and customs in her paintings, celebrating the lives of Mexico’s ordinary people. She accomplished this through a Modernist, semi-Surrealist style that allowed her to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas without the constraints of Realism. Viernes de Dolores (which translates to Sorrowful Friday ) is one of her most famous paintings and is an excellent example of her commitment to portraying Mexico and Mexican culture. According to my research , the painting depicts an altar created for the commemoration of the seven sorrows...

The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat Source: Wikimedia Commons Today, I want to do something fun and share a painting called The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat with you. The piece was executed by English painter John Reinhard Weguelin, who can be best identified as Neoclassical painter, although there are hints of Rococo and Romanticism in his work if you ask me. Today, Weguelin is known as a painter of scenes of classical antiquity and mythology, particularly of a Greco-Roman variety. The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat fits into the former category. It depicts an Egyptian priestess performing funerary rites for a mummified cat. Many people know that the ancient Egyptians considered cats to be sacred animals (really, can you blame them?). The cat was a symbol of protection in ancient Egypt, and all cats—even house cats—were sacred to the goddess Bastet, who was associated with fertility. Because of their religious and symbolic significance, cats were treated with respect and care in li...

Robing of the Bride Source:  Guggenheim Museum Among Surrealists, it is perhaps German-born painter Max Ernst who lived one of the most eventful, dramatic, and eccentric lives (an extraordinary feat when you consider his competition). Married four times, holding citizenship in three different countries, and escaping twice from imprisonment during World War II before he managed to flee Europe, Ernst’s life was anything but boring. His art is equally varied, reflecting his intellectual development, shifting influences, and ever-shifting geographical location. However, one of his strangest and most interesting paintings is entitled Robing of the Bride . As the title suggests, the painting depicts a marriage ceremony. However, it is a stranger, more abstract, Surrealist interpretation of a traditional wedding. Here, we see the bride dressed in a strange feathered cape and a bird headdress, seemingly prepared for her wedding. Next to her, a bird-human hybrid figure guards the bride ...

The Magical World of the Maya Source: Imgur I recently read a novel entitled Gods of Jade and Shadow , which tells the story of a young woman from Mexico who meets a Mayan death god and is forced to embark upon a quest with him. I enjoyed the novel tremendously, but while I was reading it, I was continually reminded of a painting that I encountered while researching Surrealist art in Mexico. The Magical World of the Maya was created by British-Mexican artist Leonora Carrington, a Surrealist artist who made her permanent home in Mexico after fleeing Europe during World War II. The painting—really a small mural—depicts some of the beliefs and stories of the Mayan people, both past and present. The painting is divided into three sections, the underworld, the world of humans, and the cosmic world of the gods. According to a publication about the mural published by the National Autonomous University of Mexico , the painting represents the relationship the Mayans experienced with their divi...

Te Tamari no Atua Source: Wikimedia Commons The art of Paul Gauguin is endlessly interesting to me. Although Gauguin himself was a rather problematic individual, his art is extraordinary. To this day, his paintings and sculptures are recognized for their original and expressive character and for Gauguin’s unique approach to color. Gauguin’s work is also remarkable for the mix of cultural themes and ideas that permeate his work. Gauguin is most famous for the art he executed while living in Tahiti, and, while his understanding of Tahitian culture was limited, his time in French Polynesia made a huge impact on his work. Te Tamari no Atua (which roughly translates to The Child of God ) is a fine example of the way Gauguin used cultural synchronism to create interesting and impactful art. As the title suggests, the painting depicts Gauguin’s version of the Christian Nativity. Here, he reworks the birth of Christ as a Tahitian scene. In the foreground, a young woman—the mother—lies ...

¡Qué sacrificio! Source: Wikimedia Commons Francisco Goya’s print series Los Caprichos is widely considered to be one the most influential artistic projects of its time. Although the Caprichos were not widely known at the time of their publication, they had a resounding impact on art over the next hundred years. One of the major themes of the series is the relationship between men and women. ¡Qué sacrificio! is an excellent example of this theme. The piece depicts a young woman in a white dress surrounded by a crowd of leering men. One man, whom Goya portrays as an oafish lout, leans toward her, examining her in a suggestive way. The woman, whom Goya portrays as the victim of the situation, looks away from the men, pain and distress evident on her face. The piece implies that the man is courting her in some way, with the title suggesting that the woman will be forced to accept his advances. The print offers a criticism of the social structures that forced young women to bind the...

Cosmic Energy Source: WikiArt Spanish-Mexican artist Remedios Varo was one the most creative artists of her age. After fleeing Europe during World War II, Varo became one of the leaders of the famed Mexican Surrealist movement. Although Mexican influences are not obvious in her art, Varo’s work is highly original and inventive; Varo used her painting to explore the boundary between the real and the fantastical. Her work was largely inspired by religion and spiritual experience. Although Varo wasn’t necessarily religious, her paintings were highly influenced by religious mysticism, magic, and the energy that exists between living things in the world. This aim is clearly displayed in Cosmic Energy . The piece depicts a room in which strange, humanoid figures emerge from the wall. One figure plays a violin (at least, I think it’s a violin; it’s some sort of stringed instrument for sure), while the other figure strokes a cat. Beams of light pour through cracks in the wall, making flowe...

Night Bathers Source:  Michael Werner Gallery I recently read an interesting article on Medium about an artist named Peter Doig . To be honest, I had never heard of Doig, but I enjoyed his work, so I want to talk a bit about it today. Doig was born in Scotland, but now lives in Trinidad in the Caribbean, a locale that informs much of his work today. Night Bathers , like many of his paintings, is informed by his time in the Caribbean. The piece depicts a woman in a yellow bikini languishing on a white beach. Moonlight streams down on her, casting a strange, blue glow across her skin. The woman casts a seductive glance at the viewer. Why someone would need to sunbathe at night is not explained, but the colors of the night create an interesting and appealing piece of art. While Doig’s paintings are lovely to look at and contain a strong element of visual pleasure, there are more complex elements at work here. Doig’s work focuses on observed reality as he experiences it, which ne...

Corazón Egoísta Source: A ndrés Blaisten Museum Like many of the Modernists artists of the twentieth century, Olga Costa’s life was shaped by war. Her family fled Germany for Mexico in the 1920s due to the political and economic fallout of World War I. Costa arrived in Mexico at the age of twelve and remained there for the rest of her life. The transition from grey, war-torn Europe to warm, colorful Mexico made a profound impact on Costa and her art. Although she was born in Germany, Costa firmly embraced her adopted country and through herself into Mexican culture. Costa sought to capture the essence of Mexico in her art. She embraced elements of the Spanish Costumbrismo style, which sought to capture everyday life in a realistic manner. As the Andrés Blaisten Museum notes , her work captures “the very image of the Mexican, as it serenely represents the flow of daily life, in which one can see the magic in the common place, the landscape, the flowers, the people, in everythin...

Vampiros Vegetarianos Source: Christies One of the most enjoyable things about Surrealist art is its charm. The work of modernists artists is often highly original and inventive, freed from the constraints of the patronage system that forced successful artists to take commissions from wealthy elites. Spanish-Mexican artist Remedios Varo was one the most creative artists of her age, and was one of the leaders of the famed Mexican Surrealist movement. While Mexican born artists developed a unique style incorporating elements of magical realism at the beginning of the twentieth century, that style was augmented when a stream of European Surrealist artists arrived in Mexico as they fled World War II. Varo was one such artist. After leaving Europe in 1941, she spent the rest of her life living and working in Mexico. Throughout her artistic career, she produced a tremendous volume of strange and unusual paintings, populated by a multitude of fantastical characters and creatures. However,...

The Repast of the Lion Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Today is my birthday, and, in honor of the event, I wanted to share a painting that relates to my astrological sign: Leo. Leos are generally renowned for stability, loyalty, and consistency, and are represented by the lion. As such, I wanted to take some time today to chat about The Repast of the Lion , one of Henri Rousseau’s many masterpieces. Rousseau is an interesting figure in the history of French painting. He was a naïve artist, meaning that he didn’t have formal artistic training. Although Rousseau’s work was not widely recognized during his lifetime, artists like Pablo Picasso realized the true value of his art. Today, Rousseau is known as one of the pioneering artists of the Modernist movements. The Repast of the Lion is one of his famous jungle paintings, based off of his visits to the botanical gardens of Paris and contemporary illustrations of wild animals. The piece depicts a forest brimming with stran...

Mis Sobrinas Source: Newington-Cropsey Cultural Studies Center I recently read an article about Mexican artist María Izquierdo that labelled her “the painter who Frida Kahlo pushed To obscurity.” While I thought that the description was a bit harsh, it’s undoubtably true. Although Izquierdo’s work is tremendously important in the artistic story of Mexico, the Modernist movement, and Latin America more generally, almost no one knows her name these days. Izquierdo held controversial political and social beliefs that alienated her from contemporary artists, leading her to be excluded from the ranks of “great” Mexican artists (like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo). Izquierdo used her art to celebrate Mexican culture. She sought to situate the mestizo Mexican culture in the wider realm of human experience, arguing that the unique blend of cultures and traditions found in Mexico was as important as Western culture on the world stage. She employed fantastical imagery that referenced fol...

Between Two Worlds Source: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico Myrna Báez is one of the seminal artists of Puerto Rico’s modernist movement. Báez, who studied in Spain, produced very distinctive work. She was heavily influenced by impressionism and surrealism; there are even elements of cubism in her style. Although Báez didn’t want to be purely identified as a Puerto Rican artist, her work was certainly informed by her heritage. In particular, Between Two Worlds explores her Puerto Rican identity. The piece portrays a road that runs next to a field, a typical scene in the Puerto Rican countryside. A shadow falls over approximately two thirds of the painting with rectangular chunks removed to show the brighter colors underneath. To the left, a woman walks down the road; her face is blurred, as if captured in motion. The color contrast represents the two worlds referenced in the title, while the walking woman symbolically represents the liminal space between these worlds. The exact ident...

Untitled Source: Latin American Art The Surrealist art movement bloomed in Mexico. It became a haven for artists fleeing World War II, and these expatriates found a thriving and open society that allowed them to work in peace. Furthermore, the confluence of many different cultures that existed in Mexico opened more avenues for these artists to explore and experiment with different themes and ideas in painting. One artist who arrived in Mexico seeking these experiences was Bridget Bate Tichenor. Bate Tichenor spent a significant portion of her adult life working as a model, fashion editor, and socialite in Paris and New York City. However, in the1950s she abandoned this life in order to seek spiritual fulfillment in Mexico, where she spent the rest of her life. While living there, Bate Tichenor produced an oeuvre of fantastical paintings that were characterized by rounded landscapes populated by strange figures with pale faces and large eyes.  Misioneros Source: Pinterest ...

The Fern Cat Source: WikiArt Spanish-Mexican artist Remedios Varo was one of the leaders of the famed Mexican Surrealist movement. While Mexican born artists developed a unique style incorporating elements of magical realism at the beginning of the twentieth century, that style was augmented when a stream of European Surrealist artists arrived in Mexico as they fled World War II. Varo was one such artist. After leaving Europe in 1941, she spent the rest of her life living and working in Mexico. Throughout her artistic career, she produced a tremendous volume of highly original paintings, populated by a multitude of fantastical characters and creatures. El Gato Helecho (which translates to The Fern Cat ) is a fantastic example of her otherworldly scenes. Varo loved cats, and they appear in many of her paintings. According to my research , she was inspired to paint The Fern Cat after a friend told her about a dream she had about cats with ferns growing out of them. Varo transforms ...

The Penitent Magdalen Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Among Baroque painters, French artist Georges de La Tour stands out as one of the most accomplished painters of his time. De La Tour’s work is exceptional, rich in shadow, light, and deep, jewel-toned colors. Like most Baroque artists, de La Tour was interested in experimenting with light, and his primary subject was religious scenes. In particular, de La Tour was intrigued by the biblical character of Mary Magdalene, one of Christ’s followers. De La Tour painted Mary Magdalene many times in different attitudes and situations. The Penitent Magdalen , which I’m discussing today, portrays Mary Magdalene sitting in a contemplative mood. Her face is turned away from the viewer as she gazes into a mirror. A candle sits in front of the mirror while a skull sits on her lap. As the Metropolitan Museum of Art (which owns the painting) notes, these items represent vanity, spiritual enlightenment, and mortality respectively. Acc...