Transcript Magic realism

Magic realism
an artistic genre in which magical elements or illogical scenarios
appear in an otherwise realistic or even "normal" setting. It has been
widely used in relation to literature, art, and film.
What happens when a
highly detailed, realistic
setting is invaded by
something 'too strange
to believe‘?
If we stop to take a look…… what is
the difference between
Surrealism and Magic Realism?
The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali 1931
Surrealism
The aim is to
"resolve the
previously
contradictory
conditions of
dream and
reality."
L'Ange du Foyer ou le Triomphe
du Surréalisme by Max Ernest
1937
Magical
Realism…..
Art where
magical elements
or illogical
scenarios appear
in an otherwise
realistic or even
"normal" setting.
Frida Kahlo, Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and
Hummingbird, 1940
Paintings
are rooted in
the real world
but also
contain
fabulous
elements, and
the real and
the fantastic
interweave in a
seamless
manner.
Frida Kahlo, Tree of Hope 1946
Magic Realism developed as an art
movement in the years after World War I.
•A return to mundane subjects as opposed to
fantastical ones.
•A juxtaposition of forward movement with a
sense of distance, as opposed to
Expressionism's tendency to foreshorten the
subject.
•A use of miniature details even in expansive
paintings, such as large landscapes.
Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth (1948)
Often typified by remarkable detail and sharp focus.
Yet more importantly Magic Realism taps into
emotional reservoirs within all of us.
Two important influences on Magic Realism came
from the Henri Rousseau and Giorgio de Chirico.
Henri Rousseau
Giorgio de Chirico
Tropical Landscape- An American Indian
Struggling with a Gorilla, Henri Rousseau
Magic Realism is a type of
realism using contemporary
subjects, often in cool
detachment and sometimes
injecting an eerie
atmosphere.
Juxtapositions of sharply
rendered and detailed
elements, both in the
foreground and
background, are used to
develop an air of mystery or
ambiguity
In magical realism we find the
transformation of the common and the
everyday into the awesome and the
unreal. It is predominantly an art of
surprises.
Magic Realism acted as a
portal to Surrealism, and
later also influenced High
Realism and
Contemporary Realism
Time exists in a kind of timeless fluidity
and the unreal happens as part of reality.
Magic realism is characterized
by the mingling and
juxtaposition of the realistic
and the fantastic, bizarre and
skillful time shifts, convoluted
and even labyrinthine
narratives and plots,
miscellaneous use of dreams,
myths and fairy stories,
expressionistic and even
surrealistic description, arcane
erudition, the elements of
surprise or abrupt shock, the
horrific and the inexplicable
Magical realism is
characterized by
two conflicting
perspectives, one
based on a
rational view of
reality and the
other on the
acceptance of the
supernatural as
prosaic reality
Magical
realism differs
from pure
fantasy
primarily
because it is
set in a
normal,
modern world
with authentic
descriptions
of humans
and society.
Surrealists - try to discover
and portray that which is above
or superior to the “real” through
the use of techniques such as
automatic writing, hypnosis and
dreaming
Magical Realists - portray the real
world itself as having marvelous
aspects inherent in it.