pam on Nostr: I have long been fascinated by the Renaissance movement (14th - 17th century) with ...
I have long been fascinated by the Renaissance movement (14th - 17th century) with Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. When I was a little girl, I grew up seeing pictures of the Renaissance art, with my big brother telling me stories about it. During a backpacking trip to Italy many years ago, I fell in love with Florence, and walking through the Chapel in Vatican City and just looking up, felt surreal.
Another movement I love is Impressionism of the late 19th century, particularly the works of Monet and Renoir, with their loose brushwork, vibrant colors, and play of light. This always felt safe, romantic, dreamy and just nice.
This week, though, I thought I would shake it up a little and explore the Surrealism movement (1920s up to post-WW2).
The first I looked into was the works of Salvador Dalí. And whoa, I was amazed by how he experimented with everything he felt - he captured his surreal visions so succinctly. His most famous painting, "The Persistence of Memory," with melting watches, became his iconic trademark (and I only recently noticed the ants!) .
Dali had an interesting life journey, from his fascination with Freudian theories to becoming a Hollywood celebrity. That, and his method of boosting creativity: he would hold a spoon while napping in a chair. As he drifted off, he would drop the object, and the sound would wake him, allowing him to capture the bizarre dreams from his light sleep. This technique led him to explore the depths of his imagination and unveil hidden meanings. There's so much more to Dali and his paintings than I can possibly write here.
Another interesting figure in Surrealism is Lee Miller. She went from being a Vogue cover model to becoming a famous photographer and war photojournalist during WW2, with that infamous picture of her captured in Hitler’s bathtub. Miller's journey is nothing short of a relentless pursuit of excellence, of wanting to be the best of the best.
When she decided to become a photographer, she took a flight to meet Man Ray, a super famous surrealist photographer, and told him she wanted to apprentice under him. When he said no, that he didn't take an apprentice, she boldly said “ you now do”, and became his apprentice and assistant for 3 years. (As I was looking through Man Ray's works, I noticed his iconic "Violon d’Ingres" violin symbol looked similar to jack (npub1sg6…f63m)'s ink - not sure if its an intended resemblance).
Miller wanted new adventures, so after her apprenticeship ended, she went to New York, moved to Cairo then to Europe. During WW2, she took numerous war photographs that were published in women's magazines, leading to her role as a war photojournalist. Coincidentally, on the day she took the infamous photograph in Hitler’s bathtub, Hitler shot himself, and the war ended soon after.
Upon returning home, Miller suffered from PTSD due to the horrors she witnessed in concentration camps. Despite her many accomplishments, including becoming a renowned cook in her later life, the war images haunted her, and she kept the films hidden in her attic. It was only after her death that her son found these photographs, which cemented her legacy as one of the greatest surrealist photographers of our time.
There’s definitely a lot of interesting things that went through this era with the art movements. I think understanding the art movement in parallel to history is incredibly fascinating, but this is something that comes as light bulb moments over time, at least for me. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s to let thoughts and imaginations flow. It takes you to the next step and the next…
Another movement I love is Impressionism of the late 19th century, particularly the works of Monet and Renoir, with their loose brushwork, vibrant colors, and play of light. This always felt safe, romantic, dreamy and just nice.
This week, though, I thought I would shake it up a little and explore the Surrealism movement (1920s up to post-WW2).
The first I looked into was the works of Salvador Dalí. And whoa, I was amazed by how he experimented with everything he felt - he captured his surreal visions so succinctly. His most famous painting, "The Persistence of Memory," with melting watches, became his iconic trademark (and I only recently noticed the ants!) .
Dali had an interesting life journey, from his fascination with Freudian theories to becoming a Hollywood celebrity. That, and his method of boosting creativity: he would hold a spoon while napping in a chair. As he drifted off, he would drop the object, and the sound would wake him, allowing him to capture the bizarre dreams from his light sleep. This technique led him to explore the depths of his imagination and unveil hidden meanings. There's so much more to Dali and his paintings than I can possibly write here.
Another interesting figure in Surrealism is Lee Miller. She went from being a Vogue cover model to becoming a famous photographer and war photojournalist during WW2, with that infamous picture of her captured in Hitler’s bathtub. Miller's journey is nothing short of a relentless pursuit of excellence, of wanting to be the best of the best.
When she decided to become a photographer, she took a flight to meet Man Ray, a super famous surrealist photographer, and told him she wanted to apprentice under him. When he said no, that he didn't take an apprentice, she boldly said “ you now do”, and became his apprentice and assistant for 3 years. (As I was looking through Man Ray's works, I noticed his iconic "Violon d’Ingres" violin symbol looked similar to jack (npub1sg6…f63m)'s ink - not sure if its an intended resemblance).
Miller wanted new adventures, so after her apprenticeship ended, she went to New York, moved to Cairo then to Europe. During WW2, she took numerous war photographs that were published in women's magazines, leading to her role as a war photojournalist. Coincidentally, on the day she took the infamous photograph in Hitler’s bathtub, Hitler shot himself, and the war ended soon after.
Upon returning home, Miller suffered from PTSD due to the horrors she witnessed in concentration camps. Despite her many accomplishments, including becoming a renowned cook in her later life, the war images haunted her, and she kept the films hidden in her attic. It was only after her death that her son found these photographs, which cemented her legacy as one of the greatest surrealist photographers of our time.
There’s definitely a lot of interesting things that went through this era with the art movements. I think understanding the art movement in parallel to history is incredibly fascinating, but this is something that comes as light bulb moments over time, at least for me. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s to let thoughts and imaginations flow. It takes you to the next step and the next…