When surrealism began, artists painted works that blurred lines between reality and fantasy. The idea was that the artist would draw on their unconscious mind, and create something unique and unusual. Everything in the paintings has meaning, especially the colors. Young artists today are turning to the colors of the surrealists as well as a foreboding tone to pick up where they left off.
Some Artists Pay Tribute to the Surrealists of the Past
Some of the artists today are paying a tribute to their predecessors. They have a playful style where they may explore alchemy, spirituality, or mythology. They dabble in magic and the occult. They are exploring themes that are similar but come from outside the Western world. They share a broad understanding that the governing systems in the world today are failing people all over the world, which is similar to how artists felt after World War I.
Other Artists Channel the Turmoil of Today
Other artists are turning to surrealism to show the turmoil present in the world today. These are uncertain times, and they may portray humans holding genetically modified animals, or they can capture the energy in the universe and connect to their unconscious. One artist looks at the shapes formed in her coffee to come up with ideas for her work.
They Highlight Struggles in the World Today
Another artist believes that female artists are like witches of the past. They were condemned and considered dangerous. However, they are very powerful, which is why they are put down. This artist adds symbols and spiritual tools to her paintings, and she makes realistic scenes. However, the scene might be a woman with a crystal ball, and the vision inside the ball is a serpent that jumps out of it at her.
Pushing the Limits
Another concept is to reverse the interior and exterior of the body. They might make the heart, organs, and bones appear on the outside, which allows the artist to explore life, death, fertility, illness, and more. They can add details around the figure to give clues and make the viewer consider what they are seeing. These are powerful paintings that question everything that people believe.