Birthday by Dorothea Tanning

-
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 rests her hand on a door knob. Behind her, a series of endless doors opening on to endless rooms dominates the canvas. According to my research, she was inspired to create the painting after being inspired by the doors in her apartment, noting “I had been struck, one day, by a fascinating array of doors—hall, kitchen, bathroom, studio—crowded together, soliciting my attention with their antic planes, light, shadows, imminent openings and shuttings. From there it was an easy leap to a dream of countless doors.”

Like many of Tanning’s paintings, the piece contains a dream-like landscape that is both ambiguous and emotionally charged. While the painted version of Tanning wears a sombre expression, it is belied by the labyrinth of doors behind her, which symbolize endless opportunities and futures, all unfolding. This landscape is also reminiscent of the mind itself, marking the infinite routes that imagination can follow. Standing at the first door, Tanning’s form gives the viewer a sense of anticipation, the feeling that something magical and exciting is about to begin.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges by Henri Matisse (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges Source: Pinterest French artist Henri Matisse is rather famous for his paintings of goldfish. In fact, one of his most famous paintings, entitled Goldfish , depicts several of the aforementioned fish swimming in a bowl. Matisse is one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. His work is closely associated with the Fauvist movement and is generally characterized by great energy and rich, intense colors. Based on my research , Matisse began painting goldfish after he traveled to North Africa. In Morocco, Matisse observed locals watching goldfish swim in their bowls as they sunk into a meditative state. The fish subsequently became a symbol for this sense of tranquility, coming to represent an idyllic version of the world only accessible through joyous day-dreams. These calming fish are prominent in this painting, which is entitled Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges (which translates to The Cat With Red Fishes ). However, the serene energy of the fish
Read more

Five Puerto Rican Artists You Should Know

-
Image
The island of Puerto Rico has a long and vibrant artistic tradition. Western, Indigenous, and African cultures have all left their mark on Puerto Rican art, creating a colorful and unique visual legacy. While Puerto Rican artists have demonstrated their excellence throughout the years— from the creators of the captivating Taino petroglyphs to the sophisticated and subtle works of the Modernist painters—Puerto Rican art has received little attention from art historians and the wider art world. Here are five underappreciated Puerto Rican artists that you should know: 1. José Campeche José Campeche is often known as the first Puerto Rican painter in the Western history of fine arts. He was primarily known for his religious paintings and his portraits of elite Puerto Ricans, and today his work is recognized as some of the finest examples of Rococo art produced in the Americas. Campeche’s personal story is also inspiring. The son of a slave who had purchased his own freedom, Campech
Read more

Mural La Plena by Rafael Tufiño (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Mural la Plena Source: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico Today I want to chat about a monumental piece of art that I recently had the pleasure of seeing at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. As the name suggests, Mural La Plena is a massive mural, fifteen by thirty feet in size, that was created by Puerto Rican artist Rafael Tufiño to commemorate la plena, a wildly popular genre of music that was born in the city of Ponce around 1900. The mural, which might appear abstract or incomprehensible to a viewer unfamiliar with the subject matter, illustrates the lyrics of popular plena songs. For example, the blue-green figure that dominates the upper half of the mural represents the hurricane from the plena “Temporal,” which mourns the destruction caused by a storm. Plena, as a genre, tells stories. According to my research , the lyrics come from current events, re-telling the stories that affected the lives of the people of Ponce. It began as a way for people of low socio-economic sta
Read more