the uncertainty of the poet

Surrealism as a movement took its inspiration from many sources. It evolved from Dada, an earlier, nonsensically named art movement. In the early years of the twentieth century, Dada artists promoted anarchy and experimentation in modern avant-garde art. Although Surrealism evolved out of the disruptive, tragi-comic manifestations of Dada, it also acknowledged the influence of more traditional artists, ranging from the Symbolists and Romantics of the nineteenth century to the work of Italain artist Giorgio de Chirico

The Futurist movement, which also flourished in Italy at this time, looked to France and to Cubism. De Chirico, however, looked to the Renaissance and ancient Roman art. What made his work avant-garde was the manner in which he distorted the Classical and Renaissance sense of calm, balance and harmony, as can be seen in The Roman Villa (1922). Ancient Italian art idealised the human figure, depicting a rational world in which tyhe viewer could feel confident and optimistic. De Chirico introduced distortions into apparently rational scenes and in so doing made his pictures seem more worried and disturbing. The Uncertainty of the Poet has made an unexpected juxtaposition of a twisted classical female torso with a bunch of bananas. This combination suggests many diverse interpretations, yet remains enigmatic and dream-like.

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giorgio de chirico
marc chagall | jean cocteau | salvador dali
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