surreal

1. having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic: surreal complexities of the bureaucracy.
2. characterized by fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtapositions.
3. characteristic of surrealism; surrealistic.

Surrealism

a style of art and literature developed in the 20th century, stressing the subconscious or nonrational significance of imagery arrived at by automatism or the exploitation of chance effects, unexpected juxtapositions, etc. It began between the World Wars and stems from the Dada movement.


In terms of photography, surrealism can be fertile grounds for experimentation both in technique and subject matter. The Surrealists of the 1920s stressed sexuality and subconscious, looking at the body in ways that were not previously acceptable and exploring the terrain of the human psyche.

These Surrealists, notably Man Ray, Hans Bellmer, Brassai, and even periphery figures like Andre Kertesz, launched the movement abroad and contributed to its survival post WWII when many European artists were sent into exile. Man Ray was a pillar of the photographic world of Surrealism and one look at his work shows how surreal photography can be achieved without heavy digital manipulation.

Surreal photography in the contemporary art world focuses on these same early principles but brings a much less political voice to the picture by exploring themes of sexuality, the subconscious, and the uncanny in more personal terms rather than socio-politically.

Depictions of impossible or otherworldly situations, dreamlike states, or even reality with a fantastic twist are prevalent in successful surreal photographs.

The gist: If it disturbs or confuses you, it might be abstract. Surreal doesn't mean it has to be manipulated to all hell or twisted into something blatantly impossible. At the same time, traditionally Surrealism is all about experimenting and manipulating, usually in a darkroom context, but modern times allow digital manipulation that creates stunning results that still retain the qualities of a photograph AND are still possible to create in a darkroom context. For example,

This piece is a digital manipulation, but with enough forethought and meticulous work, it could have been created by the Surrealists of the 1920s with traditional methods.

Surrealism in photography is about exploration of subtlety. Paintings, photomanipulation and digital art, drawings, and other traditional and neo-traditional media are where the obvious are best at play. Photography is a grounds for questioning and curiosity when it comes to Surrealism.


Surrealism is heavy on concepts and light on straight-forward face value. It bends our conceptions of reality but does not break them.



Here are some of my personal favorites from around the deviantART photography galleries: