Do you have any comments about the smaller creature seemingly attaching itself, or perhaps becoming separate from the body of the larger beast, on the left? I was always curious about it because it is notably quite distinctly liminal, in that, it is in the process of becoming either one with the larger creature or a being of its self, making the painting in fact have two subjects. It could look as if it were clinging onto the leg, making an effort to slow the beast's rage?
You have to be a little more direct when you say your conclusions to this wonderful essay. This is sadly not a time for subtle hints. Say it as it is: The westernized world that is referred to as free like Europe, Canada and the US, but also countries all over the world are transforming into ways that are decidedly more right-wing. Like militairism, nationalism, moral panics (seeking scapegoats in the disadvantaged like imigrants, homeless), eugenics Best example for a not in-your-face eugenics program is Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada and the Netherlanda. Especially in canada, this service is mainly used by people because of poverty, disability (and lack of support that makes it possible to live integrated lives, people in mental turmoil). What he's referring to isn't: Putin is the new Adolf H or some fantasy like that (doesn't mean Putin aint a bad guy) Is my interpretation at least.
It doesn't. With Capital victorious almost everywhere I don't know what you mean by Marx transforming the world. It was the writings of Marx which actually pointed out just how much Capitalism was transforming world, to such an extent that 'all that is solid melts into air'. That's pretty transformative. @@Tod_oMal
That's so interesting that the Fireside Angel's expression is described as being in pain. I thought it looked joyful and jubilant, as if it took great glee in stomping around causing chaos with its form and erratic movement. Even after it flattens everything in its path and there is nothing left, it continues to stomp across the land, its form ever-changing. The beast cares nothing about what it destroys, it only cares that it is the one who does it.
To me the failure of Surrealism to stop fascism boils down to the limitations of art as a medium. It brings to mind Woody Guthrie's "this machine kills fascists" (written on his guitar). Art can inspire people to fight fascism, but at the end of the day its people who take risks and and engage in direct action, and in some cases throw themselves into the horrors of war. It doesn't happen in a safe and comfy (and probably upper-class) studio. Maybe I'm jaded but the best that art can achieve in a revolutionary sense is to be propaganda (ie inspire people to revolutionary action).
It failed because communism IS fascism, the 'radical' alternative they professed to want would have taken away their privileged existence. Champagne socialism, is the most egregious ideology.
Yeah kinda, for the most part. There's also just like, the cathartic element of it, the like, emotional resonance it can have can be healing, not really even change the world, but like, make someone feel less alone about the world changing, which is significant. But yeah nah, it's not a gun, or a shield, or a piece of legislation. It's just a tool for communication and story telling and shit, emotional connection and what not. Propaganda could be a word for it, but, I think it can be more subtle than that too, or, less subtle. Like, not emotionally manipulative, but more, emotionally cathartic ya know
@@jordanestes1997Propaganda can be all of those things. It can be bold and brash just as much as it can be incredibly subtle. It can be made to induce calm or panic, happiness or anger, or really any other emotion just as much as any other kind of art. All art manipulates your emotions in that it at least tries to make you feel a certain way. The difference between propaganda and regular art (if you choose to define a difference) is often more in intent then it is the medium, subjects, style or emotions that the pieces evoke. Although, as the original commenter stated, all art can ultimately do is to spread ideas and emotions, it is up to the people to act on the messages they receive.
@derekkeire9954 I mean your kind of implying that art is supposed to make you feel a certain way, that the artist gives a fuck how you feel about it, I don't think all political art is doing that. Some people don't give a fuck how you feel and just want catharsis
also note how the "angel" is actually posing and shaped as a whole Hakenkreuz. It is literally representing the rise of fascism and it's just overall an incredible work of art. I highly suggest looking into Max Ernst's vast variety of works, he was truly an incredible artist
I love this painting so much. I remember at the 2019 Biennale of Venice there was an artist who did a version of this painting on a led fan (if i remember correctly), that thanks to the rotation reproduced the creature actually moving and dancing, like it was animated. I didn't knew the original painting back then, and when I searched more about it I understood the new version more: history is cyclic, it moves circularly just like the fan, and the same feelings and fears that Ernst tried to represent with his original painting are now returning, especially in Europe. Thank you very much for this video!
I've also heard the title translated as The Angel of Hearth and Home -- one of the roots of Fascism. Ernst said that an inspiration for his art was creatures he saw in wood grain -- e.g. in the headboard of his bed when he was a child. That inspiration is clear in the angel.
I'm not surprised you and friend both independently chose this Ernst painting. _The Triumph of Surrealism_ might just be one of my favourite paintings of his. Being both obsessed with monsters and weird creature as long as I can remember, and having spent all my teen and adult life enamoured with contemporary artists, this picture is a pretty stellar candidate for everything that encapsulates what it is I love about art. As much as respect and owe a vast debt to art criticism and theory, my real passion is envisioning every art exhibition or gallery I go to as a kind of three dimensional bestiary. Perhaps even some imaginary ecosystem for life beyond the norms of reality. On a more sober note, it's absolutely appalling to realize just how relevant the paintings themes remain. Lately it feels like we're on the cusp on unleashing another imbecilic monster of collective bigotry and fascism upon ourselves.
Part of me wonders if it's even more cynical than that towards Surrealism. You said the angel looks like it's in pain, which it does, but it also looks remarkably like a toddler throwing a tantrum. The screwed-shut eyes, the scream, the stomping feet and wildly gesticulating arms. Then you couple this with its design, which you pointed out looks like a kind of amalgamation of different Surreal art and artists, and it basically comes across as a deeply contemptuous criticism of the political statements made by Surrealists. They made a lot of noise, used a lot of bright colours and creative images, but ultimately, they were shouting and screaming in an empty desert.
hearing about the political implications and it’s failures of surrealism is fascinating. you usually only hear about the movement’s connection to Freud’s psychoanalysis and the subconscious. but learning about its intended resistance to fascism add another layer of depth to an already rich art movement.
Stunning... but I cannot look at this without seeing a joyful, triumphant evil, disorganized, disheveled, but treacherously bounding, narcissistically, dancing over the landscape, entitled and completely ecstatic... that lack of awareness will be its downfall...all things unknowingly seeking balance there is some hope. Stay well, mon ami.
So wish there are more art channels like this. A lot of art stuff out there have been hijacked by Jordan Peterson, who has a lot of fans of mostly "classical realist" artists; and various illustrators. There's this realist artist who drew a very flattering portrait of Peterson on his channel.
@@Shawn.Grenier Thanks! Though I do wish for at least one video exploring why Peterson is interested in art history; and why he has rabid fans among certain artists within the art and illustration scene. And what does that say about our current state of art. There has not been any criticism against Peterson regarding his infiltration into the art scene, beyond that he has a collection of Soviet-era art. Your videos on fascism and art might hint on why this happens.
I follow Peterson but didn't know he was involved in art beyond, as you've said, his collection of USSR-era socialist propaganda. I'd be interested to hear from artists' perspectives and or learn about his impact (positive and negative) on the art community.
To me the painting is obviously a figure lashing out in anger at it's loss. It's the literal figure of surrealism, throwing a tantrum at it's failure. I don't believe it to be a depiction of fascism, coursing across the land destroying everything, it feels both ironic and heartfelt in it's despair, to me it's Ernst' reaction, his anger against surrealisms inability to change anything.
I'm going to repeat myself, but thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. As a tech, I don't really have any skills on art, except the little I got on my own. Your videos are slowly filling that gap for me. Un grand merci à vous deux pour ce super boulot.
Excellent video! I just wanted to add that the creature is a representation of Loplop, the alter ego of Max Ernest. What could be depicted here is the artist himself and the pain he experience at the realization that the surrealist project had failed. That's just my interpretation though.
always a treat. I'm dreaming of a residency with you. What a perfect space and setting. This year after 59 years of living a life of fear and doubt I simply don't care anymore what people think (probably a lie). I am an artist in spite of the lack of formal training. I don't have a library full of paintings. or even an organized photo album. I do have passion that seems unmatched. Every surface of my home has been touched by my hand - changed fixed manipulated made better. My shop is full of unrelated mostly unfinished paintings and sculptures. I work with any medium. I hate buying materials when the world is full of them for free. I've been trying to break through the fear and imposter syndrome forever. This is the year. In my creative world there is a population of 1. I'm the only creative I know. It would be horrifying to spend time with artists and their culture from my position. I'm willing to walk through that fire like never before. Thats where the joy is. The title of my autobiography will be "I want to paint a red stripe on a white wall" a reference to that one bold single stroke that makes the painting. I'm tired of trying to paint a straight line. The dollars and cents of it all may leave this in a wish column as I'm in life transition. Sometimes money rains from above - if so I'll be seeing you soon. Cheers and thank you.
This also looks biblical. The colors and the flowing robe like fabric seeming. It reminds me of renaissance art depicting senes from that old book. It also reminds me of Goya. Saturn devouring his son.😊
It's just incredible how you can tell from the very first glance that the "Angel" represents some form of authoritarian rule. For me, it made me think of the leviathan, this disgraceful beast draconically ruling over a multitude of people, shapes and voices, morphing them into something just as monstrous as itself. Absolutely bone-chilling.
Godrick absolutely does embody certain facist ideas too. He is highly devoted to replicating Godfrey and his reign (arguably similar to the third reich being a successor to the first and second?), he seems to prioritize military over all else and he literally absorbs people to become stronger. He is an ultimate icon of might = right, and the supremacy of the leader over his people. Now, I doubt this all was some calculated design choice, but it is interesting at the very least. I see that many people interperet the creature in the painting as either being very gleeful, or in pain. Of all bosses in Elden Ring, I think Godrick encapsulates both those emotions the best by far.
I loved the painting as soon as i saw it, i didn't know the background story so thank you very much for making these videos and sharing them :) (btw in 6:07 Guernica was painted by Picasso, not Miró)
Really amazing commentary - thank you so much for contextualising. I find the process of titling (or leaving untitled) works of art. My thoughts about that ironic triumph of surrealism were around a sense of delving into the unconscious having unleashed a rough beast of hatred and destruction on the world. The Fireside Angel feels like it's a warning about the seeds of fascism - traditional comforts that we consider harmless, but allow an unimaginable montstrosity onto the world. Thank you for providing my art fix from home!!!
Great observation. We cannot but feel and agree this is the "true" and "deepest" meaning of Ernst's work. A point the otherwise well-thought, knowledgeable video missed alongside the above pointed fact that the depicted 'monster' is rather feasting in a sadistic glee, orgy of destruction than being in an explicit "pain". Very human/inhuman tendencies of subconscious origin fascism feeds and builds on.Thus its grotesque edifices, balancing the spectacle of aggression and violence with the coulisse of the idyllic family life and past retrieved.
It looks like he picked up all his clothes off the floor and draped them over a tree to paint this, more reminiscent of a boogyman in the closet... but also kind of a joyous vibe of Native North American dancers.
There is no such thing as failure, Art is perpetual and Surrealism exists within our daily lives whether it is by your meaning or your other meaning, We can see it by our eyes but we don't pay attention to it.
Hmm... You can't judge the failure or the success of an entire international movement from one painting, nor even of a major historical event that the movement survives. Surrealism still exists and has done so consistently ever since the Manifesto (100 years ago next year). Surrealism can't be said to have failed until surrealism gives up, and it has been a consistent voice of opposition to totalitarianism through nazism and through Stalinism too. (I suggest you look at Svankmajer's The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia. If Ernst thought surrealism had failed in 1938, why did he remain in the movement until 1954 and even after that express solidarity with its aims? Perhaps it wasn't surrealism that failed, but the world? Maybe if, instead of just looking at surrealist painting, the world took surrealist ideas more seriously, we'd see something remarkable...
I saw Ernst’s ‘The Entire City’ at the Tate Modern in August 2022. Incredible effect on me … (And, incidentally, I would love to see a video on that particular piece of art).
It's why it's important to remember when looking at Dali art.....and he said it all the time " Quit taking me so seriously all the time" I think that's what the meaning behind his moustache....to remind people that sometimes he's just being absurd for the sake of being absurd and that perhaps dear sir, a little more absurdly is needed to suffer ones current reality, because rarely are they ever within our own control, circumstances being what they often really are, out of our control....and the mind being the one thing that actually is within that control. The two are rarely ever the same. For by embracing the absurd, the insanity of the world outside of ourselves be better persevered and channeled thus more profoundly with less pretense so it's still funny AF 6:39
Pinning the succes or failure of an art movement on one painting or one artist is stretching a point. Surrealism has persisted throughout history and still lives on today as many artist still depict archetypal imagery from dreams and the unconscious.
I found the video to be quite good! If I were to add something I'd like to say that, the first time you showed it on screen, it greatly reminded me of a kind of jester-like figure that taunts. It feels like it plays into that ironic title. Awesome painting.
The Renaissance's paintings want us back, and ceilings long for murals on their brow. Our ears would hear, eyes saw, and lungs would gasp; the human face where Life’s enjoyment’s found. I doubt the angels trail those private jets, but bow beside the modest soul who cries. A comfort frail and like the spider’s web- the twist is that it’s art which wet the eye! A painter’s wrist is touched by blest applause. An empty theater- that is boredom’s stare; the curse upon employees dreaming off. They’re oddly stringed without a puppeteer. And what if bored employees scanned this proof? instead of items factories produced.
After the first few sentences talking about how Surrealism was about revolution, I felt weird, because I never see anything about a revolution in Salvador Dali's or MC Escher paintings/murals. I just thought they were very peaceful and somewhat lonely. I felt a sort of tranquility and solitude in them. For me it succeeded in evoking something beautiful, and surreal. Now I know why, Escher was never part of the Surrealist movement, and neither was Dali.
This image reminds me of baby birds, which are featherless when first born, and extremely hungry, but dependent on their parents to feed and grow them. Thus, it is about the process by which fascism was born in the heart of purportedly democratic Europe being really a return to pre-democratic Europe, as indicated in the way the creature is made up of various bits of material reminiscent of the art of the long non-democratic period in European history. Democracy is being superceded by the rebirth of the long-standing monster of dictatorship and autocracy it was attempting to overcome, almost before it - democracy - was truly born, this image seems to me to be saying - and that such a rebirth is incredibly ugly, brutal and irrational.
When I heard fireside I thought that it alluded to firebrand, and fascists rhetoric that fails to see the systemic issues in society and instead blames it on scapegoats, Hence the closed eye, screaming mouth and stomping foot
Surrealism has surpassed it's goals. Open your eyes and look around you. Someone that has died decades ago won't be able to address that for you, you have to do your own thinking.
This is my first time seeing this particular piece of art. One of the first things I noticed is how much the angles of the limbs resemble a swastika. Coincidence?
Please don't forget that Surrealism was also a literary, philosophical & even occult/spiritualist movement. & 40 years later Franco was being mentioned on Saturday Night Live.
It's a shame I haven't been in any exhibition for years now, even though it's right around me and often free. You made me realize what a fool I am. Thanks and greetings from Berlin, Germany.
The Spanish civil war lasted until the 39, the defeat of the Republican army happened that year, not on the 37. I assume that the quote he did was from after the war (probably from after the WWII) and he mixed the dates. Hence, he maybe was thinking on the civil war itself and the fear of fascism when he painted this painting, and not about a defeat that did not happened yet
The interesting thing about Ernst's work, and that of later more abstract expressionists, is that it has no definite meaning. You can project what you want onto it. Personally i interpret this as having a different tone. For me it is an ecstatic dance of creative chaos, hinting at the artistic possibilities to come later in the century.
I have a beautiful original Max Ernst lithograph, which I bought for less than a dollar when I was about 12, in the early seventies. I asked my father if he could help me to get it framed. He took it and had it sealed and mounted on styrofoam, which at the time broke my heart. But at least the image has been beautifully preserved - I don't know if it can be restored. Copies of this lithograph have sold at auction, it doesn't appear to be tremendously valuable, but I still love it.
Love this channel. Max Ernst is one of my all time favs. Another great Ernst is Europe after the Rain II (made half in Europe, half after having fled to USA) 🎨👨🏻🎨
Andre Breton was such a cool dude. I never really tire of surrealist literature, I think it's almost more unprecedented than the visual side of the movement, given how outside the common functions of language it is.
Tentative interpretation: surrealism promoted the idea of welcoming the subconscious and making it public, but it's subconscious for a reason-- this stuff isn't safe to be around.
I'm going to be unpopular here and say that I don't buy into the notion of art changing the world. From what I have seen , Art tends to be either at the fringes or at the rear, in spite of what artists themselves may say or in public. When I come across a title like The Failure of Surrealism, I have to chuckle quietly to myself and wonder at the pomposity and grandiosity of such statements. All art is subject to fads just as everything else in the human sphere is. I think that one can only say that a style of art fails if it doesn't stand the test of time, if is doesn't stand out from mediocrity. I do understand the thrust of your argument, I just think it is a pointless one. All of that said, and interesting video, thank you.
I think about that episode of Dali all the time....because it makes one reflect on one's own current beliefs...do we really believe what we say we believe, or are we just saying we believe what's easiest to believe at that moment in time on circumstances out of our control? What would we really believe if allowed to believe whatever we wanted? Rarely are the two ever the same.
At first I was going comment about surrealism not failing today in the modern age with the boom of AI art, but then again, Absurdism and surrealism are 2 different things I realized.
I have seen both of those Rembrandts in museums. The one of the painter in his studio is nothing special. It is an early work, small and dull. When I saw it, it was displayed on an unobtrusive square pillar, not on a wall. The other painting is utterly captivating - the work of a mature master of his craft.
i really thought the picture was about how our mind sees pareidolia in this hodge-podge of blankets and interprets it as an entity, which is kind of deliriously dancing in its triumph of breaking your mind
Hey mate! I really like your videos (and actually use some of the paintings i learn about from you in my classes) and would really really really appreciate a video in the Kitchen sink painters!! I think they relate very well with your video on the Clif dwellers
Yes, and the image suggests that the bird is in pain (and/or delirious pleasure) in its reproductive parts - both in having its period, in having been violently abused, or in being the means by which blood is spilt grotesquely across the world.
Not a single word about beksinski?! He is definitely in the top 3 surrealist artists ever. Didn’t name a single painting either. Like a real man. Surrealism is not dead. When I paint it’s in this style. I love sculpting these ideas as well. Don’t know where the political stuff came from I like the imagery.
Toyen survived the occupation of Prague and hid Heissler. His shadow is the profile in “ The Myth of Light.” Right now, success is survival. After that painting was finished in 1946, they both had to flee the Soviets. I’m very wary of radical politics. We have NazBols and EcoFascists in our future and we can barely even deal with the NeoNazis who are already here.
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Do you have any comments about the smaller creature seemingly attaching itself, or perhaps becoming separate from the body of the larger beast, on the left? I was always curious about it because it is notably quite distinctly liminal, in that, it is in the process of becoming either one with the larger creature or a being of its self, making the painting in fact have two subjects. It could look as if it were clinging onto the leg, making an effort to slow the beast's rage?
Well, Marx has transformed the world, but for the worse. I don't know if that counts.
You have to be a little more direct when you say your conclusions to this wonderful essay. This is sadly not a time for subtle hints. Say it as it is: The westernized world that is referred to as free like Europe, Canada and the US, but also countries all over the world are transforming into ways that are decidedly more right-wing. Like militairism, nationalism, moral panics (seeking scapegoats in the disadvantaged like imigrants, homeless), eugenics
Best example for a not in-your-face eugenics program is Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada and the Netherlanda. Especially in canada, this service is mainly used by people because of poverty, disability (and lack of support that makes it possible to live integrated lives, people in mental turmoil).
What he's referring to isn't: Putin is the new Adolf H or some fantasy like that (doesn't mean Putin aint a bad guy)
Is my interpretation at least.
It doesn't. With Capital victorious almost everywhere I don't know what you mean by Marx transforming the world. It was the writings of Marx which actually pointed out just how much Capitalism was transforming world, to such an extent that 'all that is solid melts into air'. That's pretty transformative. @@Tod_oMal
@@hiddengardenflowerdanceI find your thought interesting, have had questions myself about the smaller creatures. Please share your thoughts
That's so interesting that the Fireside Angel's expression is described as being in pain. I thought it looked joyful and jubilant, as if it took great glee in stomping around causing chaos with its form and erratic movement. Even after it flattens everything in its path and there is nothing left, it continues to stomp across the land, its form ever-changing. The beast cares nothing about what it destroys, it only cares that it is the one who does it.
Yes, glee, maniacal glee.
I think that's because the image is ambivalent. After all, their revolutionary energies are human energies and the fascists use them too.
Its probably 100% because of its eye
Jkķ
It's the eye, isn't it?
You also have to admit it's a damn good creature design.
Imagine that shit as a final boss
souls games have been a disastrous cultural product that's been melting young men's brains for years now
@@hi_mom_im_on_youtubereason?
@@hi_mom_im_on_youtubehow
@hi_mom_im_on_youtube It's ok, I can't get past the first boss either
To me the failure of Surrealism to stop fascism boils down to the limitations of art as a medium. It brings to mind Woody Guthrie's "this machine kills fascists" (written on his guitar). Art can inspire people to fight fascism, but at the end of the day its people who take risks and and engage in direct action, and in some cases throw themselves into the horrors of war. It doesn't happen in a safe and comfy (and probably upper-class) studio. Maybe I'm jaded but the best that art can achieve in a revolutionary sense is to be propaganda (ie inspire people to revolutionary action).
It failed because communism IS fascism, the 'radical' alternative they professed to want would have taken away their privileged existence.
Champagne socialism, is the most egregious ideology.
Yeah kinda, for the most part. There's also just like, the cathartic element of it, the like, emotional resonance it can have can be healing, not really even change the world, but like, make someone feel less alone about the world changing, which is significant. But yeah nah, it's not a gun, or a shield, or a piece of legislation. It's just a tool for communication and story telling and shit, emotional connection and what not. Propaganda could be a word for it, but, I think it can be more subtle than that too, or, less subtle. Like, not emotionally manipulative, but more, emotionally cathartic ya know
Reality is inherently Fascist
@@jordanestes1997Propaganda can be all of those things. It can be bold and brash just as much as it can be incredibly subtle. It can be made to induce calm or panic, happiness or anger, or really any other emotion just as much as any other kind of art. All art manipulates your emotions in that it at least tries to make you feel a certain way. The difference between propaganda and regular art (if you choose to define a difference) is often more in intent then it is the medium, subjects, style or emotions that the pieces evoke.
Although, as the original commenter stated, all art can ultimately do is to spread ideas and emotions, it is up to the people to act on the messages they receive.
@derekkeire9954 I mean your kind of implying that art is supposed to make you feel a certain way, that the artist gives a fuck how you feel about it, I don't think all political art is doing that. Some people don't give a fuck how you feel and just want catharsis
also note how the "angel" is actually posing and shaped as a whole Hakenkreuz. It is literally representing the rise of fascism and it's just overall an incredible work of art. I highly suggest looking into Max Ernst's vast variety of works, he was truly an incredible artist
Omg I totally missed that. I was so focused on the little details. I guess that's exactly the point too.
That is not a swastika. What you're referring to is a German Hakenkreuz. A swastika is a Hindu religious symbol that means well-being or good luck.
@@tanishnaidu I'm very sorry about that. In italian we still refer to it with its original (and stolen) name. I will edit the original comment!
@@flaneur2366 no problem man, thanks for changing it.
Bud that is literally a swastika no matter how you wanna twist it.
The ideology of surrealism may have died, but it's artistic influence was great and can be seen today in modern art as well as advertising.
they really co-opted surrealist aesthetics
Every video you make is like a mini Art Appreciation class. I absolutely love your stuff. Thank you so much for sharing your passion and knowledge.
Aww thank you for your really sweet comment!
@@oxymoron136can you be more pretentious
@@Leo-mu8kni misreplied, sorry. Deleted the reply. But yes, I could be more pretentious, if you wanted me to. ❤
I love this painting so much. I remember at the 2019 Biennale of Venice there was an artist who did a version of this painting on a led fan (if i remember correctly), that thanks to the rotation reproduced the creature actually moving and dancing, like it was animated. I didn't knew the original painting back then, and when I searched more about it I understood the new version more: history is cyclic, it moves circularly just like the fan, and the same feelings and fears that Ernst tried to represent with his original painting are now returning, especially in Europe. Thank you very much for this video!
Cyprien Gaillard is the name of the artist you mean
@@horttulfnexo thank you!
This one ruclips.net/video/UYRpXKzUySg/видео.html
I've also heard the title translated as The Angel of Hearth and Home -- one of the roots of Fascism.
Ernst said that an inspiration for his art was creatures he saw in wood grain -- e.g. in the headboard of his bed when he was a child. That inspiration is clear in the angel.
This story is pleasing to me because I never saw the original title as ironic. The image is incredibly apt for the modern interpretation of angels.
Angel means messenger in Hebrew.
Reminds me of how my mother always said she couldn't stand walls with wood grain because they always looked like freaky faces to her.
@@gibsonraymonda Angel comes from Greek, not Hebrew.
@@bilbobaggins5938 And what did the Greek word translate? Malak.
As a mass of orbs with various lizard claws protruding from my main section, I deeply appreciate you taking the time to talk about absurdism.
Relateable
I'm not surprised you and friend both independently chose this Ernst painting. _The Triumph of Surrealism_ might just be one of my favourite paintings of his.
Being both obsessed with monsters and weird creature as long as I can remember, and having spent all my teen and adult life enamoured with contemporary artists, this picture is a pretty stellar candidate for everything that encapsulates what it is I love about art. As much as respect and owe a vast debt to art criticism and theory, my real passion is envisioning every art exhibition or gallery I go to as a kind of three dimensional bestiary. Perhaps even some imaginary ecosystem for life beyond the norms of reality.
On a more sober note, it's absolutely appalling to realize just how relevant the paintings themes remain. Lately it feels like we're on the cusp on unleashing another imbecilic monster of collective bigotry and fascism upon ourselves.
Part of me wonders if it's even more cynical than that towards Surrealism. You said the angel looks like it's in pain, which it does, but it also looks remarkably like a toddler throwing a tantrum. The screwed-shut eyes, the scream, the stomping feet and wildly gesticulating arms. Then you couple this with its design, which you pointed out looks like a kind of amalgamation of different Surreal art and artists, and it basically comes across as a deeply contemptuous criticism of the political statements made by Surrealists. They made a lot of noise, used a lot of bright colours and creative images, but ultimately, they were shouting and screaming in an empty desert.
hearing about the political implications and it’s failures of surrealism is fascinating. you usually only hear about the movement’s connection to Freud’s psychoanalysis and the subconscious. but learning about its intended resistance to fascism add another layer of depth to an already rich art movement.
Stunning... but I cannot look at this without seeing a joyful, triumphant evil, disorganized, disheveled, but treacherously bounding, narcissistically, dancing over the landscape, entitled and completely ecstatic... that lack of awareness will be its downfall...all things unknowingly seeking balance there is some hope. Stay well, mon ami.
Yeah what this person said :)
Ah, French word-salad; for when you need that _extra_ level of vacuous pretension.
lol you're so pretentious it gives me a headache
I have no idea what point you were trying to make here but you certainly used a lot of words to do it.
Pffft
As an art student, your channel feeds my brain with the right information. Thank you for your effort, looking forward to the next video, as always.
So wish there are more art channels like this.
A lot of art stuff out there have been hijacked by Jordan Peterson, who has a lot of fans of mostly "classical realist" artists; and various illustrators. There's this realist artist who drew a very flattering portrait of Peterson on his channel.
You won't see any Jordan Peterson on my channel anytime soon, don't worry!
@@Shawn.Grenier Thanks! Though I do wish for at least one video exploring why Peterson is interested in art history; and why he has rabid fans among certain artists within the art and illustration scene. And what does that say about our current state of art.
There has not been any criticism against Peterson regarding his infiltration into the art scene, beyond that he has a collection of Soviet-era art.
Your videos on fascism and art might hint on why this happens.
Ewwww.
@@Shawn.GrenierThank you. The guy is nauseating.
I follow Peterson but didn't know he was involved in art beyond, as you've said, his collection of USSR-era socialist propaganda. I'd be interested to hear from artists' perspectives and or learn about his impact (positive and negative) on the art community.
To me the painting is obviously a figure lashing out in anger at it's loss. It's the literal figure of surrealism, throwing a tantrum at it's failure. I don't believe it to be a depiction of fascism, coursing across the land destroying everything, it feels both ironic and heartfelt in it's despair, to me it's Ernst' reaction, his anger against surrealisms inability to change anything.
How would a painting style change anything? That sounds ridiculous.
@@NeedMorePlebsyou need to start reading some art history
The evil angel is happy, not in pain. For it, chaos and destruction is beautiful.
I'm going to repeat myself, but thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. As a tech, I don't really have any skills on art, except the little I got on my own. Your videos are slowly filling that gap for me. Un grand merci à vous deux pour ce super boulot.
Excellent video! I just wanted to add that the creature is a representation of Loplop, the alter ego of Max Ernest. What could be depicted here is the artist himself and the pain he experience at the realization that the surrealist project had failed. That's just my interpretation though.
always a treat. I'm dreaming of a residency with you. What a perfect space and setting. This year after 59 years of living a life of fear and doubt I simply don't care anymore what people think (probably a lie). I am an artist in spite of the lack of formal training. I don't have a library full of paintings. or even an organized photo album. I do have passion that seems unmatched. Every surface of my home has been touched by my hand - changed fixed manipulated made better. My shop is full of unrelated mostly unfinished paintings and sculptures. I work with any medium. I hate buying materials when the world is full of them for free.
I've been trying to break through the fear and imposter syndrome forever. This is the year. In my creative world there is a population of 1. I'm the only creative I know. It would be horrifying to spend time with artists and their culture from my position. I'm willing to walk through that fire like never before. Thats where the joy is. The title of my autobiography will be "I want to paint a red stripe on a white wall" a reference to that one bold single stroke that makes the painting. I'm tired of trying to paint a straight line.
The dollars and cents of it all may leave this in a wish column as I'm in life transition. Sometimes money rains from above - if so I'll be seeing you soon. Cheers and thank you.
You are a true artist!
Brilliantly done, and the parallels between the perils of Ernst's time, and our own, were deftly drawn.
This also looks biblical.
The colors and the flowing robe like fabric seeming.
It reminds me of renaissance art depicting senes from that old book.
It also reminds me of Goya.
Saturn devouring his son.😊
It reminds me most of Michelangelos, "The Torment of St Anthony"
It's just incredible how you can tell from the very first glance that the "Angel" represents some form of authoritarian rule.
For me, it made me think of the leviathan, this disgraceful beast draconically ruling over a multitude of people, shapes and voices, morphing them into something just as monstrous as itself.
Absolutely bone-chilling.
I think it's because it just *looks* big and menacing compared to the flat horizon. Smart composition is at play
I had never seen this before! Thank you so much for bringing it to light! Absolutely stunning
Your captivating voice beautifully enhances the art.
The Fireside Angel looks like Godrick the Grafted about to do his stomp in Elden Ring.
Yeah the resemblance is uncanny. I didn't know about this painting before but now I'm convinced it must have been an influence on Godrick.
@@QuickRime it makes sense, too. ER has a lot of references to Surrealist paintings, including Dali (Miquella's egg/cocoon).
Godrick absolutely does embody certain facist ideas too. He is highly devoted to replicating Godfrey and his reign (arguably similar to the third reich being a successor to the first and second?), he seems to prioritize military over all else and he literally absorbs people to become stronger. He is an ultimate icon of might = right, and the supremacy of the leader over his people.
Now, I doubt this all was some calculated design choice, but it is interesting at the very least.
I see that many people interperet the creature in the painting as either being very gleeful, or in pain. Of all bosses in Elden Ring, I think Godrick encapsulates both those emotions the best by far.
Failure of surrealism? Our world seems to be getting more surrealistic, every day.
Does anyone know the music that is being played? I would love to hear more like it!
The woman in the picture at 9’ is not Peggy Guggenheim, it’s Dorothea Tanning.
Amazing video, I learned a lot. Love learning about art history and this is one of the best channels for it!
Nice piece, but...the photo of Max and the lady is in fact, Dorothea Tanning, not Peggy Guggenheim.
You're absolutely right! He'd marry tanning after Guggenheim. Sorry for the confusion!
What what what? I see, Ernst met Tanning at Peggy's gallery, and they married soon after. And they had a charming life together.
We have little to fear from art being banned or confiscated, because the machine is much more likely to neutralise it through commoditsation.
I loved the painting as soon as i saw it, i didn't know the background story so thank you very much for making these videos and sharing them :)
(btw in 6:07 Guernica was painted by Picasso, not Miró)
Beautifully executed. This one brought a tear to my eye.
Looks like a child who has made his monster beautiful.
Ive always loved Ernst's work so Im really glad you made this, fantastic as always!
The interesting part to me is the weird little drab critter on the left, who seems to be conjuring and controlling the monster
Really amazing commentary - thank you so much for contextualising. I find the process of titling (or leaving untitled) works of art. My thoughts about that ironic triumph of surrealism were around a sense of delving into the unconscious having unleashed a rough beast of hatred and destruction on the world. The Fireside Angel feels like it's a warning about the seeds of fascism - traditional comforts that we consider harmless, but allow an unimaginable montstrosity onto the world. Thank you for providing my art fix from home!!!
Great observation. We cannot but feel and agree this is the "true" and "deepest" meaning of Ernst's work. A point the otherwise well-thought, knowledgeable video missed alongside the above pointed fact that the depicted 'monster' is rather feasting in a sadistic glee, orgy of destruction than being in an explicit "pain". Very human/inhuman tendencies of subconscious origin fascism feeds and builds on.Thus its grotesque edifices, balancing the spectacle of aggression and violence with the coulisse of the idyllic family life and past retrieved.
4:58 what it looks happy
It looks like he picked up all his clothes off the floor and draped them over a tree to paint this, more reminiscent of a boogyman in the closet... but also kind of a joyous vibe of Native North American dancers.
There is no such thing as failure, Art is perpetual and Surrealism exists within our daily lives whether it is by your meaning or your other meaning, We can see it by our eyes but we don't pay attention to it.
I adore your videos, I've noticed you are posting more lately. Congratulations keep going!
Hmm... You can't judge the failure or the success of an entire international movement from one painting, nor even of a major historical event that the movement survives. Surrealism still exists and has done so consistently ever since the Manifesto (100 years ago next year). Surrealism can't be said to have failed until surrealism gives up, and it has been a consistent voice of opposition to totalitarianism through nazism and through Stalinism too. (I suggest you look at Svankmajer's The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia. If Ernst thought surrealism had failed in 1938, why did he remain in the movement until 1954 and even after that express solidarity with its aims? Perhaps it wasn't surrealism that failed, but the world? Maybe if, instead of just looking at surrealist painting, the world took surrealist ideas more seriously, we'd see something remarkable...
I saw Ernst’s ‘The Entire City’ at the Tate Modern in August 2022. Incredible effect on me … (And, incidentally, I would love to see a video on that particular piece of art).
It's why it's important to remember when looking at Dali art.....and he said it all the time " Quit taking me so seriously all the time"
I think that's what the meaning behind his moustache....to remind people that sometimes he's just being absurd for the sake of being absurd and that perhaps dear sir, a little more absurdly is needed to suffer ones current reality, because rarely are they ever within our own control, circumstances being what they often really are, out of our control....and the mind being the one thing that actually is within that control. The two are rarely ever the same. For by embracing the absurd, the insanity of the world outside of ourselves be better persevered and channeled thus more profoundly with less pretense so it's still funny AF 6:39
thank you, for, at the end,
slipping out of past tense
and into present
Max Ernst is one my favorite artists.
Pinning the succes or failure of an art movement on one painting or one artist is stretching a point. Surrealism has persisted throughout history and still lives on today as many artist still depict archetypal imagery from dreams and the unconscious.
I found the video to be quite good! If I were to add something I'd like to say that, the first time you showed it on screen, it greatly reminded me of a kind of jester-like figure that taunts. It feels like it plays into that ironic title. Awesome painting.
The Renaissance's paintings want us back,
and ceilings long for murals on their brow.
Our ears would hear, eyes saw, and lungs would gasp;
the human face where Life’s enjoyment’s found.
I doubt the angels trail those private jets,
but bow beside the modest soul who cries.
A comfort frail and like the spider’s web-
the twist is that it’s art which wet the eye!
A painter’s wrist is touched by blest applause.
An empty theater- that is boredom’s stare;
the curse upon employees dreaming off.
They’re oddly stringed without a puppeteer.
And what if bored employees scanned this proof?
instead of items factories produced.
After the first few sentences talking about how Surrealism was about revolution,
I felt weird, because I never see anything about a revolution in Salvador Dali's or MC Escher paintings/murals. I just thought they were very peaceful and somewhat lonely. I felt a sort of tranquility and solitude in them. For me it succeeded in evoking something beautiful, and surreal.
Now I know why, Escher was never part of the Surrealist movement, and neither was Dali.
2:39 Polyblank!! it’s nice to see this collab
This image reminds me of baby birds, which are featherless when first born, and extremely hungry, but dependent on their parents to feed and grow them. Thus, it is about the process by which fascism was born in the heart of purportedly democratic Europe being really a return to pre-democratic Europe, as indicated in the way the creature is made up of various bits of material reminiscent of the art of the long non-democratic period in European history. Democracy is being superceded by the rebirth of the long-standing monster of dictatorship and autocracy it was attempting to overcome, almost before it - democracy - was truly born, this image seems to me to be saying - and that such a rebirth is incredibly ugly, brutal and irrational.
When I heard fireside I thought that it alluded to firebrand, and fascists rhetoric that fails to see the systemic issues in society and instead blames it on scapegoats,
Hence the closed eye, screaming mouth and stomping foot
It honestly reminds me a bit of The Torment of Saint Anthony in the framing of the scene
Surrealism has surpassed it's goals. Open your eyes and look around you. Someone that has died decades ago won't be able to address that for you, you have to do your own thinking.
You're my favorite art channel btw, way to get me thinking about....like stuff outside the box and into....the absurd ❤
The painting depicts horror. It was an expression of the artist’s soul - his sense of life. He was a sick man.
Great work man thanks very much❤
It is not the failure of surrealism it is the failure of humanity.The monster is rising it's ugly head today again.
Sigh, I admit that the other painting I thought of when I saw this was Dali's Premonition of Civil War. This is positively glowing with cosmic irony.
This is my first time seeing this particular piece of art. One of the first things I noticed is how much the angles of the limbs resemble a swastika. Coincidence?
Love polyblank. Great to see some more collabs going on.
Please don't forget that Surrealism was also a literary, philosophical & even occult/spiritualist movement. & 40 years later Franco was being mentioned on Saturday Night Live.
Surrealism did not fail. Especially if we are still discussing it
It's a shame I haven't been in any exhibition for years now, even though it's right around me and often free. You made me realize what a fool I am. Thanks and greetings from Berlin, Germany.
Judging art by its politics is like judging an engine by how much smoke comes out the exhaust
Please do Jacob Jordaens "The Triumph of Frederik Hendrik" 1651 …really underrated artist 👨🎨 👍🏽
Unfortunately, the monstrous forces it represents have never disappeared in our world.
The Spanish civil war lasted until the 39, the defeat of the Republican army happened that year, not on the 37. I assume that the quote he did was from after the war (probably from after the WWII) and he mixed the dates. Hence, he maybe was thinking on the civil war itself and the fear of fascism when he painted this painting, and not about a defeat that did not happened yet
Lovely way to start the morning
Glad to hear it :)
The interesting thing about Ernst's work, and that of later more abstract expressionists, is that it has no definite meaning. You can project what you want onto it. Personally i interpret this as having a different tone. For me it is an ecstatic dance of creative chaos, hinting at the artistic possibilities to come later in the century.
I have a beautiful original Max Ernst lithograph, which I bought for less than a dollar when I was about 12, in the early seventies. I asked my father if he could help me to get it framed. He took it and had it sealed and mounted on styrofoam, which at the time broke my heart. But at least the image has been beautifully preserved - I don't know if it can be restored. Copies of this lithograph have sold at auction, it doesn't appear to be tremendously valuable, but I still love it.
That's an Elder Ring boss if I've ever seen one
It’s in pain? I always thought it looked happy and laughing.
That was an amazing video and the music gave it a great tone.
I’ll say it tho’, I thought he looked happy, taking an almost joyous delight in the destruction. My first impression was that he was happily dancing
Love this channel. Max Ernst is one of my all time favs. Another great Ernst is Europe after the Rain II (made half in Europe, half after having fled to USA) 🎨👨🏻🎨
Andre Breton was such a cool dude. I never really tire of surrealist literature, I think it's almost more unprecedented than the visual side of the movement, given how outside the common functions of language it is.
I adore this painting, the colours, the stance
Tentative interpretation: surrealism promoted the idea of welcoming the subconscious and making it public, but it's subconscious for a reason-- this stuff isn't safe to be around.
I'm going to be unpopular here and say that I don't buy into the notion of art changing the world. From what I have seen , Art tends to be either at the fringes or at the rear, in spite of what artists themselves may say or in public. When I come across a title like The Failure of Surrealism, I have to chuckle quietly to myself and wonder at the pomposity and grandiosity of such statements. All art is subject to fads just as everything else in the human sphere is. I think that one can only say that a style of art fails if it doesn't stand the test of time, if is doesn't stand out from mediocrity. I do understand the thrust of your argument, I just think it is a pointless one. All of that said, and interesting video, thank you.
Best comment here. Well done
4:19 ...what are you even talking about? It does not look like it's in any sort of pain...it's emotion is that of glee
I think about that episode of Dali all the time....because it makes one reflect on one's own current beliefs...do we really believe what we say we believe, or are we just saying we believe what's easiest to believe at that moment in time on circumstances out of our control?
What would we really believe if allowed to believe whatever we wanted?
Rarely are the two ever the same.
So fascinating! I always saw the angel as dancing or blowing in the wind, and it's face as happy or sad.
At first I was going comment about surrealism not failing today in the modern age with the boom of AI art, but then again, Absurdism and surrealism are 2 different things I realized.
Could someone tell me the name of this music piece please? It is beautiful.
Raincoat Waltz - Franz Gordon
It worked. Just took longer than expected.
Asking an artist about politics is like asking a mime about a Ouiji board.
@@Dimitris_Half Exactly!
I have seen both of those Rembrandts in museums. The one of the painter in his studio is nothing special. It is an early work, small and dull. When I saw it, it was displayed on an unobtrusive square pillar, not on a wall. The other painting is utterly captivating - the work of a mature master of his craft.
i really thought the picture was about how our mind sees pareidolia in this hodge-podge of blankets and interprets it as an entity, which is kind of deliriously dancing in its triumph of breaking your mind
It is such a brave thing by Ernst, that can also be the reason it is painted a big giant animal??
That painting is by Carlos Schwabe.
Hey mate! I really like your videos (and actually use some of the paintings i learn about from you in my classes) and would really really really appreciate a video in the Kitchen sink painters!! I think they relate very well with your video on the Clif dwellers
The Angel of the House is Dickens reference to mothers . 😊
Yes, and the image suggests that the bird is in pain (and/or delirious pleasure) in its reproductive parts - both in having its period, in having been violently abused, or in being the means by which blood is spilt grotesquely across the world.
So love these essays
Not a single word about beksinski?! He is definitely in the top 3 surrealist artists ever. Didn’t name a single painting either. Like a real man. Surrealism is not dead. When I paint it’s in this style. I love sculpting these ideas as well. Don’t know where the political stuff came from I like the imagery.
Toyen survived the occupation of Prague and hid Heissler. His shadow is the profile in “ The Myth of Light.” Right now, success is survival. After that painting was finished in 1946, they both had to flee the Soviets. I’m very wary of radical politics. We have NazBols and EcoFascists in our future and we can barely even deal with the NeoNazis who are already here.
"The avalanche has already started. It is too late for painters to vote" Ambassador Kosh