Surrealism. Salvador Dali

Surrealism is a style in which fantastic visual imagery from the subconscious mind is used with no intention of making the artwork logically comprehensible.
Founded by Andre Breton in 1924, it was a primarily European movement which attracted many members of the chaotic Dada movement. It was similar in some respects to the late 19th-century Symbolist movement, but deeply influenced by the psychoanalytic work of Freud and Jung.
The Surrealist circle was made up of many of the great artists of the 20th century, including Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Giorgio de Chirico, Man Ray, Joan Miro, and Rene Magritte.
Salvador Dali is the single best-known Surrealist artist.



Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí y Domènech, Marquis of Pubol (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989), was a Spanish (Catalan) surrealist painter.

Transparent Simulacrum of the Feigned Image - Salvador Dali

Birth Of Liquid Desires - Salvador Dali

The Meditative Rose - Salvador Dali

The Crucifixion - Salvador Dali

The Temptation of St.Anthony 1945Salvador Dali

‘The Dream’, Salvador Dali

"One Second Before Awakening from a Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate". This oil painting was executed by Salvador Dali in 1946

'Paysage aux Papillons' Salvador Dali

'The Elephants' Salvador Dali, 1948

I started looking at the surrealist movement because of the lack of normality and the dream like state. This reminds me slightly of the work of Freddie Robins so i thought it was important for me to research it, and i have found myself really inspired by Salvador Dali's work.

Freddie Robins

'FOURWAY, NOWAY, LEGROOM, HEADROOM & ARMED' by Freddie Robins. 1999 Machine knitted wool

'BILLY WOOL' by Freddie Robins. 2001 Machine knitted wool600 x 600 mm

'HAND OF GOOD, HAND OF GOD' by Freddie Robins. 1997 Machine knitted wool 960 x 520 mm In the collection of the Crafts Council, London.

'HEADCASE' by Freddie Robins. 2000 Machine knitted wool 1510 x 580 x 700 mm.

ARTISTS' STATEMENT

My studio practise questions conformity and notions of normality, and intersects the categorisation of art and craft. I use knitting to explore pertinent contemporary issues of the domestic, gender and the human condition. I find knitting to be a powerful medium for self-expression and communication because of the cultural preconceptions surrounding it. My work subverts these preconceptions and disrupts the notion of the medium being passive and benign. My ideas are expressed through an exploration of the human form and have resulted in pieces such as "Odd Gloves" and "Odd Sweaters". These series question physical normality incorporating both humour and fear. The titles are important. I like to play on words to make visual suggestions: "Hand of Good, Hand of God" and "Skin - a good thing to live in". In "Anyway" I explore value and scale through the production of a large knitted sculpture made on CAD controlled industrial machinery.

I really like Freddie Robins work and feel i can relate to it well, i like the way in which knitting is turned into art work and how there is a powerful meaning behind each piece. I find the way that her knitting defines normality brilliant and very much want to incorporate that into my own work.