Agenda 5/13/05 Imaging• Finish Book Cover Critique

• Read about Surrealism and Synectics and look at examples of Surrealistic Art

• Quick Write/Sketch

• Start Surrealist Synectic Art Project• Make three columns on a piece of paper. At the top of each column, write one of

your three words.

• Brainstorm (stream of consciousness, no editing) other words (and phrases) that pop into your head for the word at the top of the column.

• Once you have filled each column with words and phrases, look at all the words and see if you can find ONE main idea or story (dreamlike) to bring them all together. And remember, it's not necessarily supposed to make sense!!!

What is Synectic art?

• Synectic (si-nek'tik): a. [LL. synecticus;Gk. synectikos, bringing forth together; holding together.] 1. Bringing different things into real connection.

(From Century Dictionary)

• Synectic: The synthesis of disparities; producing unified or cohesive structures and ideas from seemingly incompatible elements.

(From Art Synectics by Nicholas Roukes)

What is Surrealism?According to the major spokesman of the Surrealist Movement, the poet and critic André Breton, who published The Surrealist Manifesto in 1924, Surrealism was a means of reuniting conscious and unconscious realms of experience so completely that the world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in "an absolute reality, a surreality.”

from the WebMuseum, Paris

Examples of art from the Surrealist period• The two major Surrealist artists were Salvador Dali

and René Magritte. In the next few slides you will see examples of their artwork.

• See if you can tell how their artwork follows The Surrealist Manifesto by "reuniting conscious and unconscious realms of experience so completely that the world of dream and fantasy [is] joined to the everyday rational world in 'an absolute reality, a surreality.'"

Salvador Dali’s “The Hallucinogenic Toreador,” 1969-70

Do you see the hidden faces?

Salvador Dali’s “Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea” 1977

Gala was Salvador Dali's wife, but do you see anyone else?

René Magritte’s “Le Blanc-Seing” 1965

René Magritte’s “Les promenades d’Euclide” 1955

René Magritte “Le Modèle Rouge” 1935

René Magritte’s “The Lovers” 1928

René Magritte’s “Song of Love”

Quick Write/Sketch (5/13/05)

• “The purpose of art is mystery.”~René Magritte

• Respond, with words and sketches, to the Surrealist art that you have seen today and to the quote from Magritte.

• How would you define Synectics in your own words?