Surrealism & Metaphysical
1911–1950Dreams, the unconscious, the uncanny. De Chirico's empty piazzas, Dalí's paranoiac landscapes, Magritte's impossible calm.
Academic technique in service of irrational content. Smooth surfaces and careful rendering make the impossible seem real.
de Chirico
1888–1978Italian-Greek
Father of Metaphysical painting. Empty Italian piazzas at impossible angles, long shadows, eerie silence.
Long cast shadows suggest late afternoon. Warm ochre architecture against deep green/blue sky creates temporal dislocation.
Further reading: Giorgio De Chirico: 1888-1978, the Modern Myth (Taschen Basic Art Series) — Magdalena HolzheyPigments: Naples yellow · Ochre · Sienna · Viridian · Umber · Lamp black · Cobalt blue · Lead white
Dalí
1904–1989Spanish
Master of paranoiac-critical method. Melting watches, elephants on spider legs, landscapes of the subconscious.
Academic precision rendering impossible scenes. Smooth, almost photographic technique. Catalan coast as psychic landscape.
Further reading: Dalí (Basic Art) — Gilles NéretPigments: Cadmium yellow · Ochre · Sienna · Cobalt blue · Cerulean blue · Lead white · Vermilion · Umber · Lamp black · Zinc white
Magritte
1898–1967Belgian
Painter of impossible logic. Bowler hats, green apples, pipes that are not pipes — the treachery of images.
Deliberately unremarkable technique — flat, smooth, illustrational. The idea matters, not the paint.
Further reading: Magritte (Basic Art) — Marcel PaquetPigments: Cobalt blue · Cerulean blue · Lead white · Zinc white · Cadmium yellow · Viridian · Chrome green · Bone black · Vermilion · Cadmium red · Lamp black
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