Surrealistic Hand-Scapes

Surrealism Founded in Paris (Began 1924-1966) artists who sought to channel the unconscious as a means to unlock the power of the imagination.  Artists believed that the psyche had the power to reveal the contradictions in the everyday world and spur on revolution. 

Surrealist imagery is the most recognizable art. At times makes the viewer uncomfortable because of imagery Most frequent imagery: birds, eggs, ants, nature etc.

Reaction after World War I Surrealist Artist used style of art to reprieve from war, violent political situations, and address uncertainty about the world situation Employed fantasy and dream imagery, artists generated creative works in a variety of media that exposed their inner minds in eccentric, symbolic ways, uncovering anxieties and treating them analytically through visual means.

Two Types of Surrealism hyper-realistic style in which objects were depicted in crisp detail and with the illusion of three- dimensionality, emphasizing their dream-like quality (Salvador Dali)

The Second Type of Surrealism: Automatism way to tap into the unconscious mind. Automatism used various techniques to create unlikely and often outlandish imagery including collage, doodling, etc. Artists often moved their arms around on the paper creating random marks

Salvador Dali Full Name: Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marqués de Dalí de Pubol Born in Spain May 11, 1904 Died January 23, 1989 Dali was a Painter, Filmmaker, Photographer, and Sculptor Dali is easily recognized by his iconic mustache

The Persistence of Memory The iconic painting of melting clocks is his most recognizable piece of art. The piece is a rejection to time being rigid Use of symbolism

For the following slides draw from direct observation by drawing your hand in different positions within your sketchbook. Practice drawing the contour line of your hand and adding in shading. Draw at least four different positions of your hand. Keep in mind that for your project you will need to consider the position of you hand for the composition.

Important Terms: Contour Line: drawing lines that result in a drawing that is essentially an outline Hatching/ Cross Hatching: Hatching is used to create a tonal/shading effects by drawing straight lines close together. While cross hatching is also used to create shading but use two intersecting lines. Shading: used to create light and shade by varying the intensity of the medium being used. Composition: the placement or arrangement of elements in a work of art

An Example of a hand drawing using hatch marks to convey the curve of a finger or the curve of the palm of the hand. Notice the closer the hatch lines are the darker it appears.

Notice with this sketch of a hand the artist uses both hatch marks with shading to make the drawing more realistic. The different areas of light and dark creates the illusion of depth to the hand. The artist also adds in detail of the different lines and planes of the hand.

Sketch Assignment: Fill 1-2 pages of your sketchbook with hand drawings in different positions whether they appear to be holding an object or not. Practice drawing the outline of the hand by observation, add in shading, contour lines, and small details that you see.

Project Assignment: Take an original photograph of your hand or someone else for example relatives, friends. Draw hands from a photograph realistically using shading, hatching/cross-hatching techniques. . Combine realism with fantasy “scape” Utilize elements of design (show well planned out composition skills, principles of design- value shading) Hands must be prominent within the composition with an unusual character in its environment and show the hands interacting within the environments.