1. Surrealism and Portraiture

2. Surrealism Surrealism originated in the early 1920’s
influenced by the psychological theories and dream studies of Sigmund Freud
sought to release the unbridled imagination of the subconscious Using Freudian methods of free association
drew upon the private world of the mind, traditionally restricted by reason and societal limitations, to produce surprising, unexpected imagery
Surrealism

3. Rene Magritte painted The Son of Man as a self-portrait with the hope of conveying important messages about the individual. In regard to the painting, Magritte stated that “Everything we see hides another thing. We always want to see what is hidden by what we see. There is an interest in that which is hidden and which the visible does not show us. This interest can take the form of a quite intense feeling, a sort of conflict, one might say, between the visible that is hidden and the visible that is present.”

4. The Two Fridas
(Las dos Fridas)
Frida Kahlo (1939)

5. The Two Fridas (Las dos Fridas) (1939)
This double self-portrait is one of Kahlo's most recognized compositions, and is symbolic of the artist's pain during her divorce from Rivera and the subsequent transitioning of her constructed identity. On the right, the artist is shown in modern European attire, wearing the costume she donned prior to her marriage to Rivera. Throughout their marriage, given Rivera's strong nationalism, Kahlo became increasingly interested in indigenism and began to explore traditional Mexican costume, which she wears in the portrait on the left. It is the Mexican Kahlo that holds a locket with an image of Rivera. The stormy sky in the background, and the artist's bleeding heart - a fundamental symbol of Catholicism and also symbolic of Aztec ritual sacrifice - accentuate Kahlo's personal tribulation and physical pain. Symbolic elements frequently possess multiple layers of meaning in Kahlo's pictures; the recurrent theme of blood represents both metaphysical and physical suffering, gesturing also to the artist's ambivalent attitude toward accepted notions of womanhood and fertility.
Oil on canvas - Museum of Modern Art, Mexico City, Mexico

6. Salvador Dali

7. Salvador Dali
Portrait Of Mrs. Mary Sigall,
1948

8. YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Select one of the Surrealist artist we looked at today.
Using information from the classroom and internet write a brief statement about who that person is and what influenced them.
Duplicate one of the chosen artist’s portraits
Create you own portrait, influenced by and using the information learned in your studies of Surrealism
Write a statement supporting your art work.