As a part of the ongoing super project, Project Educate 2008 (^projecteducate), I present to you:

Official Abstract and Surreal Photography ABCs

The following A-Z breakdown outlines some of the basics of all things abstract and surreal in the photographic medium!

A is for Abstract

In visual art, abstract means that an artwork does not represent something seen in the actual world, but rather uses formal qualities (like color, composition, line, movement, pattern, etc) to convey aesthetic interest.

Even in photography, abstract artwork should not depict discernible objects, and if the image subject is something everyday, the goal of the abstract photographer is to distort that subject into something non-representational using any techniques that a camera allows.

B is for Brassaï

Brassaï was the pseudonym for Hungarian multimedia artist Gyula Halász, who created photographs, sculptures, and films with surrealist vibes. He moved to Paris in 1924, joining the Surrealists and rising to fame after becoming enthralled with street photography in the city. His first book of photographs was published in 1933, entitled Paris de Nuit. Later in his life he wrote that photography inspired him because it allowed him to "seize the Paris night and the beauty of the streets and gardens, in rain and mist."

C is for Conceptual

Conceptual photography and Surreal photography are very much sister styles. Surrealism relies heavily on conveying concepts and ideas, as this was how it originated. Not every conceptual photograph is surreal, but every surreal photograph is at least in part conceptual.

D is for dAmn

#Abstractography is the place to go for abstract photography chat on dAmn. Stop by any time to chat with other photographers who are into abstraction.

E is for Experimental

Both abstract and surreal photography are great grounds for experimentation! With countless in camera and post-processing techniques, there are infinite ways to experiment with photography to create an abstract image or to give photographs a surreal mood.

F is for Focus

Focus can be a great tool for the abstract and surreal photographer. Using aperture settings, you can widen or narrow your depth of field to keep less or more of the image field in focus. A narrow aperture means a lower number f-stop, and this can be great for abstracting every day subjects.

G is for *gnato

H is for Hedonist

A hedonist is someone who devotes his or her life to the pursuit of pleasure and self gratification; this is a central element of the sexual component of surrealism that explored eroticism, fetishism, sexuality, and a triggering of the senses.

I is for Impulse

Surrealist techniques of writing, painting, and otherwise creating art relied on impulse, and a need to tap into the disinterested subconscious psyche of the artist.

J is for Juxtapose

Juxtapositions are combinations of things that allow for comparison and contrast, and in Surrealism, elements are often juxtaposed in unexpected or uncanny ways in order to lead to a surreal effect or concept. Not to mention, Juxtapoz is a really great art magazine that showcases a lot of surreal art from all mediums.

K is for Kertész

André Kertész was a Hungarian photographer who had a career spanning decades and artistic movements. While he created a great many iconic Surrealist photographs, he did not consider himself a Surrealist. He worked in Hungary, France, and New York throughout his career, doing everything from photo essays to fashion photography, doing work for magazines such as Harper's Bazaar and Life magazine, and turning down an offer from Vogue. In his later life, he taught photography at a variety of institutions and sought out artists from his early days to rekindle connections. He never felt that he got a lot of recognition as a photographer, but even Cartier-Bresson has been quoted as saying that we [photographers] all owe Kertész "a great deal."

L is for =lewicka, =loganart, and *lauren-rabbit

M is for Man Ray

Man ray, born Emmanuel Radnitzky, was an American artist who focused on photography and spent most of his career in France, engaged in the Surrealist movement. Man Ray was a multimedia artist, considering himself a painter above all, and was also known for his fashion and portrait photography. He began his career experimenting with readymades, befriending Duchamp and participating in the Dada movement.

He experimented heavily with his film photographs and collaborated with many other Surrealists throughout his career. Later in his life he returned to the U.S. to escape the ravages of WWII and he is credited as having kept Surrealism alive by kickstarting it in New York and organizing the exiled Surrealists, Dadaists, and experimental artists in the States.

N is for Nightmare

Nightmares are a frequent and poignant source for surreal imagery. While surreal photographs do not have to have negative connotations and can even take influence from dreams, nightmarish scenes are particularly effective and popular for twisting reality and stretching the creative mind.

O is for ^opioid

That'd be me! I'm your gallery director for Abstract and Surreal photography. You can send me your suggestions for Daily Deviations in these categories as well as ideas for contests and events you'd like to see realized. Just send me a note or e-mail me at opioid@volunteers.deviantart.com

P is for Politics and =perception-obscure

Surrealism began as a politically-driven art movement and it retains much of this spirit today. When the movement shifted to North America, it lost a lot of its political bite, but surreal imagery is still used today to create a commentary on society through conceptual juxtapositions within the photograph.

Q is for quote

"Surrealism. Noun, masculine. Pure psychic automatism, by which one intends to express verbally, in writing or by any other method, the real functioning of the mind. Dictation by thought, in the absence of control exercised by reason, and beyond any aesthetic or moral preoccupation." André Breton (1896-1966), French surrealist writer defining Surrealism in his Surrealist Manifesto, 1924.

R is for reality

What’s surreality without reality? Every surreal photograph has elements of reality, especially since with the medium of photography we are dealing with subjects that exist in the real world rather than in the imagination. The imagination and creativity of the photographer, however, are what can take reality to another level, twisting the ordinary into extraordinary.

S is for Surreal

Surrealism was an art movement of the 1920s that began in Europe and spread to the U.S. and North America when many of these artists went into exile leading up to WWII. Surrealism continues to this day in many forms, and photography is one of its many breeding grounds for contemporary artists.

Surreal imagery is anything that depicts a dreamlike (or nightmare-like) mood, a distortion of reality, or otherwise bizarre set of imagery.

T is for =toledophotographer

U is for Uncanny

Something uncanny has a mysterious, supernatural, or inexplicable basis that takes its subject beyond what is normal. The uncanny is uncomfortably strange and is a central element of surreal art as well as abstract art, often elicited unintentionally in the viewer based on associations the viewer makes that the artist might not have anticipated.

V is for *VladimirBorowicz

W is for `wroth and `whoatherechief

X is for X-ray Photography

Some photographers are harnessing the potential of radiography for fine art means, such as Nick Veasey. This can be especially useful for achieving abstract and/or surreal themes in images of very every-day objects.
_{thanks *cheekymonkeyali!}

Y is for …

Z is for Zurich

Dada, a movement which paved the way for the Surrealist movement, began in Zürich, Switzerland during WWI and peaked from 1916-1920.
_{thanks *cheekymonkeyali!}


Alright, so I dropped the ball on those last few. The deviants featured under their respective letters will include links throughout the week to interviews as I post them! So stay tuned and keep watching to check out some modern-day photographers participating in abstract and surreal styles.


What else do you want to know? This week is for you guys! Feel free to ask here or come to meet and greet chats in #Abstractography this Thursday and Saturday to ask me live