Creative concept
Subconscious expression: Surrealist hand-painted oil paintings are deeply influenced by Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, which holds that the subconscious is the source of creation. The painter attempts to break the shackles of reason and reality, explore the suppressed subconscious content deep in his heart, and present it in a visual form. For instance, Dali often depicted scenes from dreams and hallucinations. In his work “The Eternity of Memory”, those soft, distorted and melting clocks are not objective existences in reality, but rather his unique feelings and imaginations about concepts such as time and memory in his subconscious.
Challenging the logic of reality: Surrealist painters oppose traditional artistic concepts and the logic of reality, pursuing an artistic effect that transcends reality and is absurd. By combining, transforming, exaggerating and other techniques of different things, they have created a world that seems unreasonable but is full of fantasy. For instance, in Magritte’s “The Rebellion of Image”, under a pipe in the picture, it is written “This is not a pipe”, which breaks people’s fixed perception of the pipe as a common item and prompts people to think about the relationship between reality and appearance, language and image.
Colour application
Fantastical and Splendid: Surrealist hand-painted oil paintings are rich and diverse in color, often using bright, vivid and strongly contrasting colors to create a fantastical and mysterious atmosphere. These colors do not strictly follow the color laws of reality, but are matched according to the subjective feelings and creative intentions of the painters. For instance, in Ernst’s works, colors often have a strong visual impact. Through bold color combinations, he creates a dreamlike visual effect, making the audience feel as if they were in a whimsical world.
Symbolic implication: In surrealist oil paintings, color also holds certain symbolic significance. Painters convey specific emotions and thoughts through the selection of colors. For example, red may symbolize passion, danger or desire; Blue may symbolize tranquility, melancholy or mystery; Black may symbolize death, fear or the unknown. In Miro’s works, simple colors and shapes are often used to construct a world full of childlike fun and symbolic meanings. Red dots, blue lines, etc. all have specific symbolic meanings.
Composition form
Breaking the norm: The composition of surrealist hand-painted oil paintings is not restricted by traditional perspective, proportion and spatial rules. Painters can freely arrange the elements in the picture and create a unique visual order. They often employ techniques such as exaggeration, deformation and distortion to make the objects in the picture present an unrealistic form and spatial relationship. For instance, in Delvo’s works, characters and buildings are often placed in an illusory and empty space, with disproportionate proportions and ambiguous spatial relationships, creating an atmosphere of mystery and loneliness.
Creating a dreamlike atmosphere: To express the characteristics of dreams and hallucinations, surrealist painters often employ some special composition techniques, such as overlapping, interweaving, and suspended, to interweave and blend the elements in the picture, giving people a dreamlike feeling. For instance, in Kirico’s “The Mystery and Melancholy of a Street”, elements such as an empty street, huge arches, and lonely figures are combined to create a mysterious and oppressive atmosphere, making people feel as if they were in a dream.
Image building
Bizarre and strange: The images in surrealist hand-painted oil paintings are often bizarre and strange. Painters combine and transform different creatures and objects to create a brand-new and surreal image. These images often have symbolic meanings, reflecting the emotions such as fear, desire and fantasy deep in the painter’s heart. For instance, in Dali’s works, there are often some distorted human figures, deformed animals and other images. For example, in “The Premonition of Civil War”, the human body is torn and distorted, and the image is terrifying, expressing his fear of war and concern about the fate of mankind.
Alienation of daily objects: Painters also subject the objects in daily life to alienation, endowing them with new meanings and forms. For instance, in Magritte’s works, there are often some daily items that are enlarged, reduced, deformed or combined with other objects, such as apples, hats, umbrellas, etc. These items lose their original functions and meanings in the picture and become a kind of symbolic sign, provoking the audience to think about the real world.
Theme expression
Exploring the Inner world: The themes of surrealist hand-painted oil paintings often revolve around the emotions, desires, fears, etc. deep in the human heart. The painters attempt to reveal the mysteries of the human subconscious through their works. For instance, Ernst’s works often express reflections on war and concerns about the fate of humanity. Through fantastical images and symbolic techniques, he conveys a critique of reality and a worry about the future.
Questioning the order of reality: Surrealist painters questioned the order and values of the real society. Through their works, they expressed their pursuit of freedom, equality, and the liberation of individuality. For instance, Miro’s works are brimming with childlike fun and innocence. He expresses his dissatisfaction with the real world and his yearning for a better life in a simple and pure way.