Well, ya know, when folks start talkin’ about art and the subconscious, it’s all a bit mysterious. What is that subconscious part, anyway? It’s like that part of your mind that don’t always show up when you’re wide awake, but still, it’s there, pullin’ the strings. And when it comes to art, some folks think that the subconscious has a big ol’ hand in what gets painted or drawn. They say it’s like a hidden force behind the strokes and splashes. You know, like when you draw somethin’ without thinkin’ too hard, just let your hand move free, that’s what we call automatic drawin’ or automatism.
Now, this here idea didn’t just come outta nowhere. Some old-timers like Sigmund Freud, he came up with a theory about this subconscious stuff, sayin’ that there’s a whole mess of things goin’ on in our heads that we don’t even know about. Our deep-down thoughts, desires, and feelings hide in there. And sometimes, they sneak out in ways we don’t expect. That’s the kind of stuff that Surrealist artists was lookin’ to bring out. They didn’t want to paint what they saw with their eyes, they wanted to paint what they felt deep down in their hearts and minds. Dreams, memories, and all them strange little thoughts that don’t make no sense.
Back in the 1920s, a bunch of artists got together and called themselves Surrealists. They thought the regular way of paintin’ just didn’t cut it no more. They wanted somethin’ different, somethin’ that came from that hidden place in the mind. So, they’d paint things that didn’t make no sense, like clocks drippin’ off trees or faces with no eyes. Strange, right? But that’s exactly what they were after—gettin’ to the root of human emotion, without all the rules gettin’ in the way.
Artists like Salvador Dalí, Yves Tanguy, and René Magritte was some of the most famous ones from that Surrealist crowd. Dalí, in particular, was real big on them melting clocks and distorted worlds. He said it was all about expressin’ the subconscious, bringin’ out them dreams and strange visions we all get sometimes. Now, it wasn’t just about the images themselves, but how them images made you feel. The weirdness, the unease, all them things that come from deep inside.
And then, there’s this thing called automatism, which sounds fancy, but it just means drawin’ without thinkin’. It’s like when you sit down with a pen and paper, just let your hand go, and let whatever comes out, come out. You ain’t tryin’ to make it look like nothin’—just let the mind take over. This way of drawin’ was real popular with the Surrealists. They thought if they didn’t control it, the true thoughts from the subconscious would show themselves.
Now, not every artist did this on purpose. Some folks, like Mary Stephenson Overflow, found their inspiration in dreams, others in hypnosis. You see, hypnosis was another tool used by some artists to unlock them subconscious thoughts. The idea was to put yourself in a state where your mind wasn’t so focused, so that all them hidden desires and ideas could bubble up to the surface. Some of the more modern artists even experimented with it, like Mullican in the 1970s. They’d get themselves into a trance, and that’s when the artwork came out, all strange and full of hidden meaning.
But you don’t have to go around doin’ hypnosis or dreamin’ to tap into that subconscious power. You can just start drawin’, scribblin’, or paintin’ and let your mind wander. Some folks say that when you ain’t tryin’ too hard, that’s when your true self shows up. And that’s the magic of it. That’s the connection between art and the subconscious. It’s all about letting go of control and seein’ what comes up.
The subconscious don’t just stay locked up when we’re asleep or in a trance, though. It’s always there, guidin’ us, movin’ our thoughts and actions in ways we might not always notice. Maybe you’ve had that feeling when you meet someone and you just know somethin’ about ‘em, or when you make a choice and can’t explain why it feels right. That’s your subconscious workin’, right there. And in art, it’s the same thing. The brush strokes, the colors, the shapes—they all come from that deep-down place, whether the artist knows it or not.
So, you see, art ain’t just about what’s on the canvas, it’s about what’s goin’ on inside. The subconscious is a big part of it, whether we’re aware of it or not. So, if you ever feel the need to pick up a pencil or brush, just let your mind take the lead. You might be surprised at what you find.
Tags:[Art, Subconscious, Surrealism, Automatic Drawing, Dreams, Freud, Salvador Dalí, Yves Tanguy, René Magritte, Subconscious Art, Creativity, Unconscious Mind]
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