The essay discusses three artworks by a contemporary artist who is living today and compares them to classic Surrealist artworks. The contemporary artist chosen for this essay and carrying elements of the surreal in his work is Mohammad Zaza, who is a Syrian artist. Three artworks of Zaza are chosen for analysis in the paper, namely, “The shell”, “Face of the Machine” and “Mind”.
Surrealism as another art form that embraced chaos and the irrational. The Surrealists tried to unlock the imagination of the mind, rejecting rationalism and realism. The focus here was to tap the unconscious mind. It embraces the unconscious desires and the ideas of chaos. The artist digs deep into the unconscious mind for his artistic creativity and believes that rejection of rational thoughts creates superior expressions (Surrealism2016).Surrealist artists show those deep expressions of the pure state of mind with free-thinking concepts without the influence from the outside rational world. Those creations force the viewer to think as to what is going on in the canvas and making him look for meaning. The art makes use of dream imagery to reflect the inner workings of the mind.
Mohammad Zaza is a contemporary artist who carries elements of surrealism in his work. He grew up in an artistic family and showed interest in painting at an early age. He works on large size canvases, illustrations, and animations. The style of his artwork is to show the movement behind fixed and thus opening new scope of reality. Through his paintings, one gets another dimension of life and allows the viewer to arrest the unity of the foundation of thoughts. The artist has been dealing with the idea of creativity for a long time (Gidwitz 2016).
“The shell “oil on canvas, 2016
“The shell” by Mohammad Zaza seems to be an image from a sci-fi and surrealism (The Shell – Mohammad Zaza 2016). In the artwork, one finds sharp colors arranged in a particular shape on a dull background of olive green. There is a spherical shape that extends from the right side of the canvas, thus giving it a rooted point. The sphere becomes open-ended at the lower side, and one sees the bottom half face of a man. The work defines the boundaries of time, place, and logic and this is what adds to its surrealistic nature. The spherical shape stands for the colorful shell done in shades of blues, pinks, mauves, reds and orange that look staking against the dull green background. Several layers within the shell give the impression being concentric. The lower half of the face protruding on the lower side is done in skin color. The artist makes the nose and lips clearly, and he creates depth with the help of shadows. The rest of the head is covered with abstract shapes and colors. One can see the boundary of where the skull line should be. Layers of brown and mauve colors fill up the area and in irregular circular shapes. He makes use of shadows to create a slight perspective. However, the spherical shape in the foreground lies in a close proximity of the viewer. He uses a different kind of forms and arranges them in psychological shapes that one is well aware of.
One can see an eye in the middle of those shapes that looks deep and sunken. The location of the eye is a bit odd and unnatural. The rest of the shell is filled with shades of blue, black, orange that make a sharp contrast with each other. The brilliantly visual artwork could be beautiful or ugly but still carries a harmony. Clearly, there are several elements of surrealism here. This is an imaginary vision with a distinct flow of color and the shapes. The artist works within the spherical shell, and shows different forms and shapes, each carrying a definite place on the canvas. He forces the viewer to participate with the artwork. One can compare the artwork “The shell” with the “The Accommodations of Desire” done by a classic surrealist artist, Salvador Dalí, The artwork is as vivid and bizarre as “The Shell” by Zaza. There is systematic irrational thought involved between the two. The seven enlarged pebbles are envisioned by Dali so as to point to him that what lies ahead. There are different elements depicted in those pebbles that encourage one to interpret them openly.
“Face of the Machine III”, Acrylic on canvas, 2014
“Face of the Machine” is an image that travels beyond the traditional borders and is a pure creation of the mind (Face of the Machine III 2016). This is what makes it surrealistic. Mohammad Zaza uses fluorescent green for the background, and one finds box line dimensions and curves spread across the canvas. As the title of the artwork is the face of the machine, one can observe closely to see the boundary of the face which could fit within the box like impressions. One has to magnify their perceptions to unravel the meaning hidden behind the visible realities. The viewer gets pushed into unknown boundaries. The solid green background and the weird box-like shape with sections enhance new scopes of reality. Those shapes held together by color and proximity emphasize the unity of the source of thoughts. The complex stouter carries lifeline form as well as shows the rigid limitations of the square shapes. Some sections of the box are dark while other light and translucent.
One can see different sections of the box and each acts as a container. Pale green translucent colors are used as a shadow of the box, thus giving a perspective to the artwork. Irregular shapes fill those box-like sections in bright colors such as reds, oranges as well as dull gray and browns. The shapes and forms look surreal in nature and yet make a collective meaning together. By giving this artwork the title of face of the machine, Zaza depicts a face within the rigid boundaries of square dimensions. It is like a box opening and carrying a face like impression. He tried to avoid any categorizations and creates links between two very dissimilar objects. Thus, like a surrealist, he uses the transformative power of the human mind and shows how imagination can rule the world. He goes against the gravity of physical standards and crosses all borders in his imagination that is apparent in this artwork. Looking at the work of another Surrealist, Alberto Giacometti, “The Palace “it shows a bizarre juxtaposition of objects and the scene sends an undercurrent of mystery. Although it carries a child-like simplicity, the fantastical palace captures the imagination and looks very fragile. Both works leave the viewer to an open imagination of their own and free to interpret the artwork as per their understanding. The artists explore collective consciousness here and ask the audiences to reassess.
“Mind “(1) Acrylic on Canvas, 2014
“Mind “(1) is another Acrylic on Canvas by Mohammad Zaza that shows elements of surrealism. The background is dull, and a figure of the man stands in the foreground. He wears a great shirt with white collars. Only his partial face is visible, and one can see well-defined nose and lips. From the rest of his head emerges a cloud-like structure that spreads across the canvas swirling up and then spreading across towards the left side. It is filled with contrasting shades of gray and deep maroon. The cloudy gray structure covers the face and one can see a piece of brain emerging from the upper side of the head. The artist uses flat tones but with shades. He tries to create depth by using shadows for the neck of the man and on his shoulders. However, the colors used are flat. As for the clouds of visions and dream of the mind, he uses relatively flat colors. However, strands of gray and white cover the marron mass at two points, thus, look like an envelope of white holding the maroon mass together.
“Sleeper” (1938) by Andre Masson shows all the impossibilities and spiritual nihilism. The evocative subject matter opens up an emotional and philosophic expression. The figure in white is in deep sleep and as if surrounded by his dreams. The artist uses earthy and brown colors here I filling up the abstract and overlapping shapes that fill the canvas around the central figure of the sleeper. His hands are strong and boxy, and he holds spectacles in his left hand. The artist retries to portray the intense emotional stress and pain through the nightmares of the sleeper.
Mohammad Zaza, the company artist who is living today, shows strong elements of surrealism in his work. However, as there are no limits and boundaries of human emotion and desires and the complex worlds of his subconscious, likewise, there are set rules for the art of surrealism. When comparing Zaza’s work to the early classic surrealist, one finds some similarities as well as dissimilarities. What is common in those works is the surrealist imagery that is perplexing and outlandish. However, each of those artists carries their own style of working, perhaps based on their dreams and unconscious mind that is unique to them. Each of those works is fine examples of Surrealism and how they blur the boundaries of conscious and unconscious realms. They defy the rational world and its rigid rules and force the viewer to look within his mind and subconsciousness, creating a unique experience and connection with the artworks. Surrealism took the art to another level and demanded that it should be appreciated at a subconscious level as well and need not be merely reviewed visually and literally. Modern contemporary artists such as Mohammad Zaza show that how easy it is for the artists to express their creativity through Surrealism and how the style gives them more e freedom to convey their feelings through the canvas. Surreal art can be dreamy, optimistic, irrational and depressive, but it always cares a deep message at the subconscious level, and this is what makes it purer.
Works Cited
"Face of the Machine III." surrealismtoday. 2016. Web. 13 May. 2016.
Gidwitz, Jay. "Mohammad Zaza." surrealismtoday. 2016. Web. 13 May. 2016.
"Surrealism." theartstory. 2016. Web. 13 May. 2016.
"The Shell – Mohammad Zaza." surrealismtoday. 2016. Web. 13 May. 2016.
