Contextual Studies #2

Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for its visual artworks and writings. The aim was to "resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality." Artists painted unnerving, illogical scenes with photographic precision, created strange creatures from everyday objects and developed painting techniques that allowed the unconscious to express itself.

Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works being an artifact. Leader André Breton  was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was, above all, a revolutionary movement.

André Breton in 1924

Joan Miró, June 1935

Joan Miró's Influence on Graphic Design

Reflecting upon the recent exhibition Joan Miró: Painting and Anti-Painting 1927–1937, this lecture explores the profound influence that Miró's unconventional painting, collage, and assemblage techniques have had on graphic design in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Celebrated American graphic designer Paul Rand, for example, consistently utilized Miró's oeuvre as a point of departure for creative design assignments for students. Through a comparison of Miró's works with those of Rand and other designers, this lecture considers how Miró's revolutionary approach effectively altered the formal language of communication design. 

Uncanny:Surrealismand GraphicDesign