Surrealism

Sammy Charnine- Born in Nice on the French Riviera, Samy Charnine immigrated to the United States in 1983. He lives a secluded life and is very devoted to his art. He grinds his own paint from historical pigments using recipes and techniques dating from the Renaissance. He is highly demanding on himself and destroys many of his paintings, sometimes years of work, if the result doesn't meet his standards and expectations.

Michael Maier- Maier was born in Rendsburg, Holstein, in 1568. He studied philosophy and medicine at Rostock, Frankfurt, and Padua. He attained in 1596 a doctorate in medicine at Basel, and returned to Rostock to practice the medical profession. He also briefly (c. 1601) practised in Königsberg and Danzig. Around this time he became interested in alchemy. In 1608 he went to Prague, and in 1609 became the physician and imperial counsellor of Rudolf II. The interest of the emperor in the occult was the reason of his high esteem for Maier. Maier wrote a commentary on Hermes Trismegistus and was dedicated, along with the emperor, to researching the secrets of nature.

                                            

Artist Name: Sammy Charnine

Title: The Sea Inside

Date: 1994

Description: A low composition background with just enough of light to see the details in the fishes and the fish bowl itself. The fishes look so real; it looks as if they are moving. The girl inside the fish bowl is staring out a clear blue sky, perhaps there’s a lot on her mind.  The fish bowl look as if it’s a picture inside a picture.

Analysis: The portrait itself has an even balance. It contrasts from dark to light. The photo is well lit, and I can understand the artist purpose of this photo by the dark background and a solid wooden line that supports the fish bowl. 

Interpretation: The artist wanted the viewers to realize us humans are stuck in the fishbowl rather than the fishes. So he has the fishes swimming around like humans in the free world, as to us human’s the artist wanted us to feel trapped in the fish bowl.

Judgment:  This photo was successful on my behalf. I understood the artist’s accomplishment and his feelings towards painting this portrait. The balance with the colors makes the portrait pop out to you. My favorites are the fishes. As I’m starring I could just imagine the fishes swimming around having a good old time.

 Artist Name: Michael Maier

Title: Confronting Your Fears Will Be Difficult But Have Faith And Believe In Yourself

Date: Unfounded

Description: A soft warm magenta background, leaning on with a long pathway that leads to the clouds with a light shinning at the end. Along with a sad innocent girl, maybe worried or confused on what she should do.  Wearing little to no clothing. The mountains look faded but still noticeable for us to know the girl is up high in the sky.

Analysis: It’s a soft key photo with a bit of a blur; it has a single focus with a smooth rhythm. You can tell the fading between the clouds and mountains. You can analyze this girl is up high and is meaning to do some sort of action.

Interpretation: The artist wanted viewers to realize that in life you’re going to face many fears and a lot of challenges down the road, and in order to succeed you need to have faith and believe in yourself. Stay on the right path and have faith. Don’t look back and keep moving forward.

Judgment: The picture itself got the meaning across, even just by reading the title you can get an idea on what the artist was trying to sell his viewers. I’m in love with this photo, the artist chose proper colors and organized his format appropriately.

Compare & Contrast: Between the photograph and the drawing they are different and both have different meanings. They both are eye appealing and have bright colors. The painting has a low composition as to the photograph it’s a bit high. There the same in many ways. The only differences are the colors and meaning.