Surrealism, sometimes called Beyond Reality, is an artistic movement from the early twentieth century that explored the dreams, fantasies and unconscious thoughts of the mind. In Surrealism anything and everything is possible, there are no limits imposed by what you find in the real world. Artists in this movement used Automatism (drawing without a plan) to create their pieces. Have you ever doodled something while daydreaming or distracted? That’s Automatism.
Today's project will have you creating your own Surrealist art! You’re going to be making a paper-collage inspired by a dream you recently had or an imaginary world you want to live in. The idea is to research some of the artists below and find an artwork that inspires you. You’ll be sketching out a rough idea of what you want your collage to look like on white paper. Then you will bring your art to life by cutting shapes out of colored paper to build it.
Learn More: Search online for Surrealism artists like Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Dorothea Tanning, and Max Ernst To learn more about the artists of the Surrealism movement.
Materials:
● Colored paper (to create your shapes)
● Plain white paper (to sketch your vision)
● Tape (painters tape, scotch, or masking)
● Scissors
● Pencil
Alternatives:
Remember, with any art project, you can use whatever materials you have available and you can express yourself however you want! You are the curator and artist! For example, if you don’t have colored paper, you can color white paper instead.
Directions:
1 - Make a rough sketch of what you want your artwork to look like on a piece of white paper. Remember Surrealism is all about using your imagination. So a tree doesn’t have to look like a tree, it can be composed of a square, squiggly lines, or whatever else you want it to be.
2 - Using your sketch for reference to draw shapes on your colored paper.
3 - Cut out your shapes.
4 - Next, tape your shapes on the wall or a piece of paper to create your surrealist art. Hint: fold your tape on the back of your art so that it is not visible. You can also arrange your shapes on a floor or table to create your artwork.
5 - We love to see your artwork! Share your work with our museum by posting to our social media with #wamcreateclub