Symbols in Surrealism and Pop Art

Is painting Jesus or the Virgin Mary the same as painting Shirley Temple or a Campbell’s soup can? Is using these symbols in art exploiting them? What if an artist replicated a can of soup over and over again in the same piece of art, is that exploitation? Artists use symbols in their art to explain the meaning of their creations. How the artist portrays these symbols makes the difference between art forms. Often, artists make these symbols and icons easily recognizable so that anyone viewing their art can easily understand the meaning. A painting of Jesus offers an important religious symbol just as a painting of Marilyn Monroe represents the popular culture of the 1950’s. Surrealism is an art form that uses these symbols and icons to convey meaning. In the early 1920’s, Andre Breton used the term Surrealism to describe the artistic and literary practices which consisted of Dada and Freud’s theories. Dada was an art form designed to be purposely misunderstood and confusing, and Dadaist made fun of that art and the world around them (Wilder, 2007). According to Wilder (2007), Marcel Duchamp’s ready-made art, which was literally just as it sounds, offers an excellent example of Dada’s theory. Marcel turned everyday objects into art; creating a piece that he called “Fountain” from a urinal. Around the time that Surrealism was born, Sigmund Freud’s theory of the subconscious mind surfaced. Freud believed that a link existed between a person’s subconscious mind, their waking life, and their intentions. In other words, what you dream about is influential in your daily life. For example, if you dream about bugs, it could represent a fear of the bug deep rooted and emotionally tied to an experience in your life (Wilder, 2007). Dadaism exploited everyday objects and Surrealism exploited everyday objects in dreams. Often, Surrealist painters would dream, and then they would wake up and paint or write about their dreams. Therefore, when you look at a piece of Surrealistic art you have to think about the symbols in the painting and what those symbols might mean. Surrealism art has a sort of dream-like quality, and you frequently see objects in the same piece that do not usually belong together (Ross 2003). An artist may use the images of an ant and a cup in the same picture to stress that you must think about the symbols in the painting to understand the painting. However, artists and their work vary greatly, and interpreting the meaning behind these paintings can be difficult. In contrast, Pop art began in the 1950’s, and its name came from the popular cultural images seen every day. Images of Marilyn Monroe, Campbell’s Soup cans, and comic strips became art. Pop art did not mean any specific form since artists painted, used silk screening, or air brushed. After World War II, Pop art became popular because the US was changing into a more prosperous and consumerist society, a society where consumers were buying more, buying bigger, and buying better (Spilsbury, 2009). As Spilsbury points out (2009), the United States and the United Kingdom became more prosperous in the 1950’s and could afford new things, therefore, the 1950’s was the beginning of the consumerist boom. People had more time, more money, and advertisements were everywhere. Magazines exploited actors and actresses now more than ever, and in between each article, there was an advertisement. On one page, you could see the new Frigidaire available in lemon, olive green, and chocolate brown. Then, flip the page and see a comic strip with Dick Tracy. Flip the page again and you see an ad for Swanson TV dinners. The mass production of these advertisements and exploitation of cultural symbols was an easy replication for artists of the time. Pop art used these cultural symbols to get the attention of everyday Americans, and it made art appealing, recognizable, and easily available (Spilsbury, 2009). Although Surrealism and Pop art usually consist of different forms of images, some of the first Pop art actually came from the Surrealism movement. Salvador Dali once painted the head of Shirley Temple on the body of a sphinx, and he painted a couch that was in the shape of Mae West’s lips. If artists want others to understand their art, it is important for them to use well-known symbols. Dali’s painting of Shirley Temple, done in 1939, offers a perfect example of how these two forms of art combined as well as how they are different. The Shirley Temple painting uses the body of sphinx and the head of Temple, obviously there is no such being, so there is a dream like meaning in addition to the pop cultural meaning. John Rosenquist’s painting titled “The President Elect,” done in 1960, is a jumble of advertisements put together. You see an image of John F. Kennedy, a piece of cake, and a car. These images all represent pop culture, but they do not belong together or seem to fit together, unless you think about the meaning behind the images. According to John Rosenquist’s art, we manufacture politicians as easily as cars (Spilsbury, 2003). Surrealism often had many different types of symbols and icons in one single painting that was in a dreamlike state and with Pop art you see cultural icons with different meanings. Both Surrealism and Pop art were so influential that people are still painting them today. It is actually even possible for artist to combine these two art movements as Mark Ryden’s work shows. Known as a Pop Surrealist, Ryden uses pop cultural symbols in a dream like form combined with many other items that you usually do not see together (Mark Ryden Bibliography). It is important we remember where these two forms of art came from to understand the impact they still have on today’s artists and even our current lives. Do you think you would be able to buy a Marylyn Monroe t-shirt if Pop art had not made such a big impact on our lives?

References
Mark Ryden Biography. Retrieved November 26, 2012 from www.markryden.com[->0].
Ross, M. E. (2003). Salvador Dali and the Surrealists: Their Lives and Ideas. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press.
Spilsbury, R. (2009). Pop Art: Art on the Wall. Chicago, IL: White-Thomson Publishing.
Wilder, B.J. (2007). Art History for Dummies. Indianapolis, IN. Wiley Publishing.

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