This gallery features artists who create pieces in the surrealism style. Surrealism is a style of art that is sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind. Each piece in this gallery features the sky in the piece of art. This gallery features artists such as Frida Kahlo, Wolfgang Lettl, and James Gleeson.
Frida often paints surrealist pictures that have to do with her life. This painting specifically is about her and her wet nurse. When Frida was born her mother was unable to nurse her so she hired a native Indian wet nurse for her. This piece is quite interesting because even though she has the body of a child she painted her adult face. If you look at the sky you can see that it is dark and dreary with milk raining from the sky. With the seriousness on their faces and Frida’s quote about this painting it almost seems sacrificial. Frida said, “ I am in my nurse’s arms, with the face of a grownup woman and the body of a little girl, while milk falls from her nipples as if from the heavens”.
The Queen of Night, Choi, Hyo Soon, 2008, From the collection of: Korean Art Museum Association
The painting depicts a woman with beautiful large wings of a moth. This piece really took a calling to me because oddly enough I like moths. I think they are a symbol of light when you are in the darkness. Moths always find light in the darkness of night and in this painting the lantern she is sitting on is her light in the darkness. The sky in this piece is partially under her which makes this piece a little different that the others. The clouds have hues of grey and dark blue, which emphasizes the darkness. The upper sky is black with a crescent moon in the background.
The Outcry, Wolfgang Lettl, 1989, From the collection of: Lettl Collection
This painting shows a man that seems to have freed himself. He has his arms up in the air and his face looks as if it was stressed and he is finally reliving himself. The other figures in the background are hunched over and seem miserable. The bird that is flying out from his caged chest also symbolizes being free because it is spreading its wings and flying away. The sky in this piece is mostly hues of blue, gray, and purple, which give it a dreary feel, but there is one piece of the sky in yellow that lightens up the mood like the light at the end of the tunnel.
This picture is another piece done by Frida Kahlo and as previously stated she tends to make art based on events in her life. This painting was created after Frida had a miscarriage and this was her tribute. I think that it is interesting because of the sad meaning behind the piece yet the sky is bright and only partially cloudy.
The Man who Puts Girls on Fire, Wolfgang Lettl, 1967, From the collection of: Lettl Collection
In this piece the first thing you will notice is the women on the couch being consumed by fire beginning at her head. I think this is odd because the rest of this piece uses very cool colors such as deep blues, greens, and magentas in the sky. Then you look at the bottom of the piece and see colorful and beautiful flowers and two men standing in the bed of flowers. You can also notice that the men kind of blend into the background and flowers. The cool colors of the sky really contrast with the warm colors of the fire, which makes the women really stand out even more.
Mr. Magritte's Hat, Wolfgang Lettl, 1976, From the collection of: Lettl Collection
In this piece you notice a home sitting on a hill over looking the sea. Coming up from the sea next to the house is a giant fish. There is also a hand pointing up to a hat that seems to just be growing out from the ground. This piece uses mostly basic primary and secondary colors. The sky is this piece starts as a primary blue then slowly fades lighter as the distance takes over. The clouds in the sky are white and seem to be in perfect cloud shapes and almost identical giving it an unnatural feel.
This is another piece done by Kahlo. This painting is a tribute to Luther Burbank who was a horticulturist best known for his strange and unusual vegetable and fruit hybrids. In this piece Frida has made him half human and half tree. The sky in this piece is a bright blue with some grey and white clouds to possibly symbolize the sunshine and rain that plants need.
Funnel Field, Wolfgang Lettl, 1981, From the collection of: Lettl Collection
In this piece you can see these pretty yellow flowers in tin funnels that are upside down. You can also notice that the ground is dry and dead of life and that’s why the flowers are beginning to wilt. The sky is full of pretty soft hues of pink, purple, and blues. The sky also has a pair of pink lips in the bottom right in the distance.
Spain, James GLEESON, 1951, From the collection of: National Gallery of Australia
This piece has a quite of bit going on in it. One of the first things you notice is the womanly figure hovering over the ground. Then next to her is a nude man looking at the womanly figure. The landscape is composed of red, orange, and brown dirt paths and mountains. There are 7 people that are walking and scattered along this path that are wearing black cloaks. If you look closely at the mountains you can see the figure of a women laying on her side. The sky in this piece looks very calm except for the swirl. The dark hues of dark blue, black, and red gives the sky a kind of doomy feeling.
This last piece is also done my Kahlo. This piece was inspired by the time her doctor put her on bed rest due to lack of appetite from the many surgeries she underwent. The doctor ordered that she was put on bed rest and served a pureed blend of fatty food. You can see in this piece Frida seems pinned down and miserable from bed rest. She is outside in which seems to be in the desert mountains. She is also has a funnel going into her closed mouth that is full of fish heads, meat, and skulls. The sky in this piece is interesting because it is a bluish grey sky with no clouds but both the sun and the moon are present possibly to show the illusion that it is on going in time, both night and day which gives her no hope of being normal again.
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This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
