Thursday, May 29, 2014

Surrealism today



Surrealism in art is an area that has always fascinated me, and I have utmost respect for the practitioners of this branch of painting. Sometimes I have delved into this realm myself and it is wonderful a times treading on these parts of the somewhat esoteric realm. It is a 20th century movement of artists and writers (developing out of dadaism) who used fantastic images and incongruous juxtapositions in order to represent unconscious thoughts and dreams. And thus you will begin to wonder what really goes on in the minds of these artists.

 Take a look at the works of the all time great - Salvador Dali and those who have come up after him for instance. Even these days, the level of sophistication and sheer skill on display by the adherents of this genre is just incredible. However, here in Nigeria, the notable names are rather few and still remain the likes of – Abayomi Barber, Muyiwa Spencer, Muri Adejimi, etc. In the eighties, and on to the very early nineties, I was highly enthralled by the works of the late Boniface Okafor. The power and vision inherent in his paintings have remained of the highest order. But in the western world it is tremendously astonishing what they have continued to churn out today. Here are just a few of what I have encountered: 


Morgan Nwanguma



All in Your Eyes