“Surrealism Beyond Borders” at The Met Museum
Surrealism painting show review
In sharing my experience, I will make it my goal to keep this relatable and accessible for all to enjoy.
Surrealism is known for its unusual juxtaposition of imagery. Some even find it to be so unfamiliar it can be deemed offensive or illogical. The surrealists thrived on working in a way that was automatic to tap into their free thinking and creative minds without an overloading input from the outside. Providing themselves and the viewer with a new world, one which doesn't already exist or at least not the norm.
“Surrealism Beyond Borders” at The Met was one of unexpected delight amongst the strange and unusual in painting.
First, in my excitement I’d like to say that Mexico stole the show with “Remedios Varo” and Leonora Carrington! Yes, there was the “father” of Surrealism Dali and Max Ernst, some may even be familiar with Hans Bellmer and Andre Breton, also shown. But even as a seasoned and practicing artist, I was thrilled as I walked through this show with just how much work I did not know! Unlike with some of the other art movements there wasn't an overabundance of repetitive styles or concepts. I didn’t feel the artists need to mimic or outshine the others. It felt like a community of artists working together to see what else they can do, rather than “I can do this too.” (cough, cough the big boys in abstract expressionism, cubism and impressionism) And this goes without lacking a communicative language, inclusiveness and role within the Surrealism movement. I found this show proving to be free from the confines of academia painting or feeling tedious as an exhibition representing a specific art movement. I also didn’t feel the usual boy’s club painter atmosphere that is often so loud when dealing with a painting exhibition. Not that it wasn't a male dominated exhibition, but the style of the show feels universal and gender-neutral in aesthetic. It is amazing how unified yet unique it felt seeing it curated together in one place.
Also inspiring was seeing the inclusion of the Exquisite Corpse* game the surrealists were known to partake in included in the show. Not only were there a few small pieces framed in the beginning, but they had a large piece that included more than 100 artists, poets, intellectuals and even musicians from all over the globe which took years to complete. They even had a small display of some of the postage packages from several of the artists. It was quite the treat to see this piece in person, as I looked for all the names I could recognize. It showed the dedication these artists had to thinking outside the box, working together rather than competing and keeping their creative minds free from the norm.
* Exquisite Corpse, a creative method using drawing or words collectively where each person is not allowed to see what the previous person created as they continue to contribute their own automatic and free ideas. This continued process creates a final collection of unique ideas.
“Surrealism Beyond Borders” is up until Jan 30th
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