Need Help, Oh Artsy Ones!

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Disneyphile

I love art, really I do, but I just don't "get" surrealism. I find it strange and somewhat disturbing at times.

Quite often the point of surrealism is to show a strange, disturbing point of view.

Anyone can take what they see and draw/paint/sculpt/film a version of it, to varying levels of success, of course. Most argue that good art not only reflects, it also gives the viewer a new way of looking at the subject. That is the very basic way that I look at surrealism.

GD brought up Magritte - here's my favorite one of his, titled The Kiss:



I saw this in person and was blown away by the idea of it. It fills my head with meanings. I think of it as showing that outward acts of affection don't mean everything, that many relationships have invisible boundaries, that a kiss is a kiss no matter who the kissers are...there are many ways to look at it. (I have never looked up the "official" interpretations and I intend not to.) A drawing of two normal people kissing would never have this impact on anyone.

Originally Posted by Disneyphile

According to Alex's rules, I can just take a decapitated mannequin, add a watermelon to the top of its neck, place it on a giant toothbrush that is floating in the middle of the ocean with a giant eyeball overhead with sunbeams emitting from its iris. And then title it something like, "Humanity".

You'd be doing yourself a disservice if you discarded this opportunity to try something new and instead made a joke of it. As someone who was not raised on art, never did much formal study, and now loves the more challenging aspects of it, I think everyone should give surrealism a real shot. There are many different artists, many different ways to enter it, and I can practically guarantee that there is some artist somewhere that can provide a good connection for you.