Massurrealism
Massurrealism is a portmanteau word coined in 1992 by American artist James Seehafer,<ref name="intute" /> who described a trend among some postmodern artists that mix the aesthetic styles and themes of surrealism and mass media—including pop art.<ref name="intute">Adam. "massurrealism", Intute:arts and humanities (University of Oxford and Manchester Metropolitan University), 17 October 2003. Retrieved 8 March 2008.</ref>
History
Massurrealism is a development of surrealism that emphasizes the effect of technology and mass media on contemporary surrealist imagery.<ref name="intute" /> James Seehafer who is credited with coining the term in 1992<ref name="intute" /> said that he was prompted to do so because there was no extant definition to accurately characterize the type of work he was doing, which combined elements of surrealism and mass media, the latter consisting of technology and pop art—"a form of technology art."<ref name=lecture>Seehafer, James. "Discussions: The Artist and Modern Society." Template:Webarchive, lecture on Massurrealism at Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg Russia, 20 June 2000. Retrieved 8 March 2008.</ref> He had begun his work by using a shopping cart, and then incorporating collages of colour photocopies and spray paint with the artist's traditional medium of oil paint.<ref name=lecture/>
In 1995, he assembled a small group show near New York City and found a local cyber-cafe, where he started to post material about massurrealism on internet arts news groups, inspiring some German art students to stage a massurrealist show.<ref name=lecture/> The next year he started his own web site, www.massurrealism.com and began to receive work from other artists, both mixed media and digitally-generated.<ref name=lecture/> He credits the World Wide Web with a major role in communicating massurrealism,<ref name=lecture/> which spread interest from artists in Europe<ref name=Ketter>"Massurrealismus (Massurrealism)", Ketterer Kunst Auction House, Munich Germany. Retrieved 21 December 2016.</ref> and in Latin America<ref name=Itinerante>"Conoce más sobre el MASSURREALISMO? - Mexico City" Retrieved 21 December 2016.</ref> Seehafer has stated: Template:Cquote
The differentiating factor, according to Seehafer, between surrealism and massurrealism is the foundation of the former in the early 20th century in Europe before the spread of electronic mass media.<ref name=lecture/> A common characteristic is the use of modern technology to fuse surrealism's traditional access to the unconscious with pop art's ironic contradictions.<ref name=showcase>"Selected examples of massurrealism", Retrieved 29 October 2022.</ref>
In 2005, graffiti artist Banksy illicitly hung a rock in the British Museum showing a caveman pushing a shopping cart, which was described as "a nice tribute to James Seehafer and Massurrealism."<ref>Esaak, Shelley. "Banksymus Maximus", about.com, 22 May 2005. Archive originally retrieved 8 March 2008.</ref>
Artists
British artist Alan King started to experiment with a combination of digital and traditional art methods in the 1990s, producing a majority of his works with photography and using computer techniques combining digital images with a multitude of traditional methods including oils, ink, acrylic, and watercolour.<ref name=king> Impressions Cover artist bio article - overview of Alan King & massurrealism - April 2010 (printed edition – Virginia, USA).</ref>
Nationally renowned photographer Chip Simons Template:Whom incorporates both his photo images with digital collage.<ref name=simons>Chip Simons photography / digital collage</ref>
German artist Melanie Marie Kreuzhof, who describes her work as massurrealistic, was commissioned in 2004 by the editor of the Spectakel Salzburger Festsiele Inside magazine to produce an artwork about Erich Wolfgang Korngold's opera Die tote Stadt at the Salzburg Festival.<ref name=dixon>Dixon, Troy. "'Die tote Stadt', 2004", korngold-society.org. Retrieved 8 March 2008.</ref> To make her work she took 9 digital photographs, composed them in a computer and printed the result directly onto canvas, which was then attached to a wooden frame, worked on with acrylic paint and had objects attached—3 guitar strings, a strand of hair and a silk scarf.<ref name=dixon/> The images and elements were derived from themes in the opera.
Other artists include Cecil Touchon who works with sound collage & poetry,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and conceptual artist / film set designer Jean Pierre Trevor describes his 'massurreal approach' to his multi-media work.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
American Southern artist John R. Adams / Johnny Ramage's <ref name=jram>Johnny Ramage select works. Retrieved 8 November 2018.</ref> work consists of digital media, photography, and random Google images chosen through an automatic style and rendered in unsophisticated photo editing software. Ramage's work often focuses on ominous, absurd images inspired by frightening childhood events all depicted in style that suggests a low-fi, or 8-bit and contemporary aesthetic.<ref name=nclac>North Louisiana Arts Council - Retrieved 21 December 2016.</ref>Template:Multiple image
In popular culture
Hyperreality // Massurrealism is a New England IPA beer sold by Hourglass Brewing Company. It is shipped from Longwood, Florida. <ref name=Beer>Hyperreality // Massurrealism - customer reviews, Retrieved 9 September 2022.</ref>
In the 2013 indie movie "45 RPM", the protagonist, Charlie, describes her work as massurrealism while applying for an artist grant. <ref name=IMDb>45 RPM (2013) - IMDb, - Retrieved 9 September 2022.</ref><ref name=excerpt>45 RPM (2013) - excerpt, - Retrieved 9 September 2022.</ref>
See also
Notes and references
Further reading
- Andreja Velimirović, "90s Art and Its Bequest to Contemporary Art" Widewalls
- Dallas Simms, "The Digital Psyche: Disembodied Embodiment, Massurrealism and Social Media" University Of Virginia, Charlottesville
- Seehafer, James / Morris, Michael / Kocsis, Phillip (2013). Three Essays About Massurrealism. Princeton: University Plaza Press. Template:ISBN.
- Lantzen, Sean (2004). Massurrealism: A Dossier (a.k.a. Massurrealismus: Ein Dossier). Zurich: Novus Haus. Template:ISBN.
- Ese Atakpu, "7 Art Styles" Kurating.com Retrieved 20 August 2019. Archived at the Wayback Machine
- Template:Cite web
- University of Birmingham, Burmingham, UK TURING ARTS SYMPOSIUM 2012 with the AISB/IACAP WORLD CONGRESS - discussion and visualizations of man/machine similarities and differences in select art works of surrealism e.g. Matta 1938 and Massurrealism of the 21st century.
- "The Inevitability Of Massurrealism" - Mark Daniel Cohen Wegway No:7 page 52 (Printed edition - Toronto Canada) November, 2004.
- "Avant Garde Under Net Conditions" - Perspektive (Printed edition - Austria) German text only.available online Retrieved June 2000.
- "What is new In The Surreal World" - Art and Antiques Magazine, (USA) March 2006.
- Celia Fernández, Contemplando el Massurrealismo Contemplating Massurrealism, Instituto Superior de Danza Alicia Alonso de La Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Mardrid, Spain - text in both Spanish and English
- "Massurrealism Yields New Unique Vision" - Computer Artist . (USA) August/September 1996
- Brunner, Dr. Cornelia & Tally, William (1999). The new media literacy handbook. Anchor Books Template:ISBN.
- Hoffman, Barry Howard (2002). The fine art of advertising: irreverent, irrepressible, irresistibly, ironic. Stewart, Tabori & Chang. Original from the University of Michigan
- Touchon, Cecil (2007). Happy Shopping - Massurrealist Spam Poetry. Fort Worth: Ontological Museum Publications. Template:ISBN.
- King, Alan (2009). A Room Of Illusions - the Massurreal & Illusionary art of Alan King. Fort Worth: Ontological Museum Publications. ASIN: 0615263054
External links
- Massurrealism - Urban Art Minute brief overview of the influences and origins (Art Media Journal)
- Three Essays About Massurrealism audiobook version released in 2013. Narrated by Grover Gardner, 35 minutes
- massurrealism.org homepage