Surrealism Research

Rather than just randomly snapping photographs we decided to first off do research into the three task areas, getting ideas and being influenced by artists and photographers.

Salvidor Dali is one of the most well-known surrealist artist, with work such as 'Swans Reflecting Elephants' showcasing clever manipulation of a painting and really engaging with the audience.
The double image (swans on top/ elephants below) really makes the audience think and concentrate on the painting, making it more memorable.

Here Dali has again got a multiple image painting, (a face/ a vase/ a dog) which is slightly hard to notice at first. Once the audience begins to concentrate and focus on the details in this painting new elements are discovered and more meanings are revealed.

At first glance its almost impossible to notice what it wrong with this photograph by Erik Johansson, looking simply like a spilled cup of coffee. However the surrealist element here is concealed so well that when noticed it leads the audience to perceive this is very cleverly done. The spilled coffee forms the shape of a world map, which would be naturally impossible without the help of photo manipulation. This image is very thought-intriguing and one of the most interesting we found.

Also by Johansson this photograph is really interesting and caught our attention as it is something quite simple but its effective in showing surrealism. What is also striking about it is that the photograph looks quite realistic even though we know it is impossible and has been manipulated.

Romain Laurent has created this image in a surreal manner. This piece of advertising photography called 'Pickpockets' has been conveyed with a surreal sense of playfulness and has fascinated us as he has fun with the image and plays on the audience's sense of humor.