The British Surrealists
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- 28,99 €
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- 28,99 €
Publisher Description
Fêted for their idiosyncratic and imaginative works, the surrealists marked a pivotal moment in the history of modern art in Britain. Many banded together to form the British Surrealist Group, while others carved their own, independent paths.
Here, bestselling author and surrealist artist Desmond Morris - one of the last surviving members of this important art movement - draws on his personal memories and experiences to present the intriguing life stories and complex love lives of this wild and curious set of artists. From the unpredictability of Francis Bacon to the rebelliousness of Leonora Carrington, from the beguiling Eileen Agar to the brilliant Ceri Richards, Morris brings his subjects foibles and frailties to the fore.
His vivid account is laced with his inimitable wit, and profusely illustrated by images of the artists and their artworks. Featuring thirty-four surrealists - some famous, some forgotten - Morriss intimate book takes us back in time to a generation that allowed its creative unconscious to drive their passions in both art and life.
With 105 illustrations
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Contending that Surrealists "dislike having their work analysed," painter Morris (The Artistic Ape) presents instead a delightful series of chatty "pen portraits" that highlights the lives of 34 prominent British artists working "in the period between the two great wars." Through effervescent biographical sketches, personal anecdotes, and reproductions of their work, Morris, a notable Surrealist in his own right, reveals how each artist's background and personality influenced their rejection of "the strict rules of the established art world" and pursuit of Surrealism as a way of life. Surrealist outlier John Tunnard (who detested the "bitchy in-fighting" of the St Ives's school's artistic scene), for example, expressed his "out-and-out" embrace of the movement through his "bizarre costumes" and theatrics. Eileen Agar, meanwhile, spent her days "revolt against convention" via such antics as "making love standing up in a hammock." The influence of wartime is also felt: Francis Bacon incorporated images of the "tormented flesh" he witnessed in the London blitz into his paintings, while Edward Wadsworth hoarded his wartime egg rations for his preferred egg tempera technique. Throughout, Morris's irreverent tone is balanced by serious and insightful details, making each profile feel at once indulgent and informative. Bringing his own knowledge to bear on his fascinating subjects, Morris offers a sweeping survey that's surprisingly intimate.
