Surrealism

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 First up: a video that one of our group members recommended of Johannes Stötter, an outstanding body paint artist. In the video a group of dancers wear body paint that represents animals in the jungle: an owl, a mandril, a lion, among them. At the end, they combine their bodies to make a grand roaring tiger …. surreal body paint art! Our gang loved the visuals. Dazzling!


We continued to discuss Leonora Carrington’s statues La Tamboralera (The Drummer); yesterday’s Top of the Day. We didn’t get enough time to explore this large sculpture on Monday, or the variations of it (she did several of the same figure playing her drum) so we spent time marveling at her artistry. In this piece, she seems to have been inspired by some of her surrealist colleagues, Modigliani & Picasso & in turn, she influenced countless artists including Mexican auteur director, Guillermo Del Toro. One of our group said that she was the last of the great surrealists having passed away less than a decade ago. Very touching comment.

Top of the Day is June Jaeger’s foray into fabric art surrealism with Petrified. She says about her work, “I used a lot of my hand dyed fabrics as well as batiks and a few regular cottons. The batting is 100% cotton and the threads are cotton blends.” Then later, “I have been a realist focusing on detail. Branching out and becoming freer with this piece was difficult and rewarding. The circle represents my life with a lot of jigs and jags.” We greatly appreciated her pushing the boundaries of quilting in color and form. Some people saw pinwheels, kaleidoscopes, windmills – movement & shadow.

Opened in 2003, Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall is an example of architectural surrealism. We focused on the outside, its curves and wild levels. Several of our group have seen it up close & others can’t wait to visit Los Angeles to take a gander at his modernist, surreal approach. His style is said to defy categorization. It’s experimental and challenges us to look at buildings in new & innovative ways. WHY does a building have to be a square or rectangle …. In 91 year old Frank Gehry’s world, it sure ain’t! (Wonky grammar on purpose!) We will do many more Gehry forays in the future!


  • Leonora Carrington, La Tamboralera (The Drummer) -- link --
  • Leonora Carrington, La Tamboralera (The Drummer) -- link --
  • Leonora Carrington Tamborilera -- link --
  • Leonora Carrington Tamborilera (front view) -- link --
  • Leonora Carrington, La Tamboralera (The Drummer) -- link --
  • Leonora Carrington Tamborilera (Arisema Tovar photo) -- link --
  • June Jaeger PETRIFIED -- link --
  • Frank Gehry WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 2003 -- link --
  • Frank Gehry WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 2003 -- link --
  • Gehry Night View -- link --
  • Gehry Night View 2 -- link --

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