A Brief History of Surrealism
Surrealism as an art movement was born early in the 20th Century. Heavily influenced by Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, and other psychoanalysts, Surrealism sought access to our inner, unconscious world and to express that world in visual and literary terms. The term "surreal," meaning beyond the real, was invented in 1917 by Guillaume Apollinaire. The movement's leader, Andre Breton (a French intellectual, poet, and writer who was also trained in medicine and psychiatry), wrote the Surrealist Manifesto in 1924, defining surrealism as "dictation of thought in the absence of all control exercised by reason, outside of all aesthetic and moral preoccupation."
The Surrealists wanted to tap into the unconscious in as pure of form as possible. This, for them, meant no repression, judgement, or censorship of thought. Along with this, as an extension of Freud's pursuit of dream analysis, came the "dreamlike," or non-rational imagery of the Surrealists. Early practitioners Salvador Dali, Yves Tanguy,Max Ernst, Rene Magritte, and Man Ray, to name a few, were masters of the technique. Although they were, at times, simply toying with our perceptions of "reality," using their imaginations as the tool, and satarizing the values of the bourgeoisie, their images often carried symbolic weight. Like Freud and his disciples, the Surrealists used the language of symbolism – which is also the language of the unconscious – as a means of exploring the inner regions of the human psyche. No art movement prior to the birth of Surrealism had accomplished this goal with such power and imagination. Over the years, and since the death of Breton in 1966, Surrealism has undergone several transitions and transformations. Magic Realism and Fantastic Realism are two examples of the movement's metamorphosis. Both are surrealistic in nature, yet different enough to justify a new name and style of work, with their own artistic leaders.
Southwest Surrealism & Rick Showalter
Continuing in the tradition of the Surrealists, Utah artist Rick Showalter could be properly called a "Southwest Surrealist." Rick uses the Surrealist technique of juxtaposing ordinary objects into out-of-the-ordinary relationships, but he does so by using a visual language that is unique to the American Southwest, and uniquely his own. This involves incorporating the beauty of the Colorado Plateau landscape – with all its amazing rock formations, canyons, and monoliths – with Native American themes and concepts drawn from mythology, astronomy, anthropology, and archeology. Rick's work displays an active intellect combined with outstanding draftsmanship. His art makes you think, ponder, and wonder, while treating your eyes to a visual feast that few renderers can duplicate. This again, is a characteristic of Surrealism: highly accomplished technical skill combined with thought-provoking imagination and well developed concepts. But to know Rick is to encounter a very unassuming, down-to-earth individual. As a husband, father, and grandfather, Rick has both feet firmly planted on the ground, while still inhabiting his inner world whenever it strikes him. For Rick, that's often in the wee hours before dawn, where he's free to work unfettered and uninterrupted. This is, perhaps, also the time of day (or night) when Rick is most free to engage his spiritual and intellectual wanderings. However it works, and whatever he does to induce these visions, we can only hope he's able to access his artistic sensibilities for years to come, and for the enjoyment of us all.
A Brief Biography of Rick Showalter
Originally from Kansas, Rick and his wife Cookie currently reside in Moab, Utah. His artistic abilities are largely self-taught, though he received training at Wichita State University, the Wichita Museum of Art, and the Tucson Museum of Art. He also worked as a professional illustrator, including 13 years as an on-staff artist for Arizona's Kitt Peak National Observatory.
Most of Rick's work deals with the expansion of awareness, mystical experience, and the transformation of consciousness. Western culture tends to misjudge these pursuits as so much mumbo-jumbo, when in fact there is a long historical religious and intellectual tradition of study and practice of these inner, psychological states. A lot of Rick's images are inspired by visual impressions experienced in that not-fully-awake state transitioning out of deep sleep. Rick has also had a longstanding interest in Buddhist, Hindu, and Moorish art and philosophy. Clearly, his years as an illustrator of astronomy have also been a big influence. Combine these with a passion for the desert landscape of southeast Utah and you have a fascinating list of ingredients with which he works to stimulate his imagination.
Rick believes that for a work to be considered "fine art," it must be more than wall decoration or a "pretty picture." It should express the artist's mind, his own inner vision, convictions, and creative imagination. He works primarily in the graphic mediums of pen & ink, charcoal, graphite, pastel, and colored pencil. These are the tools of a skilled artist, whose quality of draftsmanship is rarely seen.
by Rick Wheeler – fellow artist,
writer, and social observer
July, 2007