Surrealistic Artists Research

René Magritte is one of the most famous surrealist painters, but it wasn't until he was in his 50s that he achieved international recognition. René Magritte was born in Lessines, a small town in the province of Hainaut, on November 21, 1898. He is best known for his witty and thought-provoking images. People often said that his use of simple graphics and everyday objects often give new meaning to familiar everyday things. One of his first solo shows was in 1927 and was not received well so he moved to Paris and became firmly lodged in the surrealist movement. Some of his most famous painting were Personal Values, Golconda, and False Mirror. René Magritte died on August 15, 1967 in his bed of pancreatic cancer. He was extremely influential in his time and brought an entirely new way of looking at art. Much of René Magritte’s work is still on display today and highly praised.

Erik Johansson was born in 1985 outside of a small town called Götene in the middle of Sweden. He always loved drawing and got into computers early in life. Many of his inspirations come from the environment around him. Anything from things he sees in daily life to other artist’s work and photography all help to create his work. Some specific people that inspire him are Salvador Dali, a Spanish surrealist painter, M.C. Escher, a Dutch graphic artist, and René Magritte. He is self-taught in both photography and retouch. He currently works on both personal and commissioned projects.

Artists Name: René Magritte

Title: Personal Values

Date: 1952

Description: The painting Personal Values, Magritte shows a bedroom filled with everyday objects that are oversized.

Analysis:  This piece has a lot of strong, bright, rich colors, which give the picture a feeling of joy. The picture also looks very balanced and, the picture is also very thought provoking.

Interpretation: My interpretation of this piece is that he is trying to get across the fact that these small everyday items are a big part of life. I also think that he wants the audience to connect to the painting and think about their own personal everyday items.

Judgment: In all, I feel that Magritte is successful in making the viewer’s rethink about their relationships with their personal items. The painting is made very well and the deep thoughts that come along with it make it the success it is.

Artists Name: Erik Johansson

Title: Go Your Own Road

Date: 2009

Description: This piece is composed of photographs that were edited by Erik to look the way it does.

Analysis: This photo has a good color contrast between the dark of the zipper and the city compared to the bright colors of the green grass. It also has good pattern created in the photo from the zipper and the buildings.

Interpretation: What I think that Erik is trying to get across from this picture is that the city is slowly taking over that beauty of that wide open field. I think that they show that we are using up the earth's resources and eventually take over  

Judgment: Over all I think that the photo is very well done and really does a great job at getting the message across. This is very affective and is very relevant to things that are happening in the real world

Compare and Contrast: Both Artists are very talented in their own way. There are two completely different art styles and each give their audiences something different to think about when looking at their work. Erik has a lot more photos that relate to modern times and gives thoughts of modern real world things. René’s work is more about making the audience think about everyday things in a different and unique way. Either way they are both extremely good artists and do very well in getting across their ideas to their audiences.