Arthur Dove
Richard Hunt
Judy Onofrio
Betye Saar
Kay Sage
Yves Tanguy
Jane Tuckerman
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Kay Sage
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| Kay Sage
On the Contrary, 1952 oil on canvas 35 1/2 x 27 3/4 in. WAC |
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| About
the Art Sage was a Surrealist painter. The Surrealists were a group of artists who created art from their "inner worlds." Paris was the birthplace of this style. The Surrealists disagreed with the Dada shock tactics and preferred a more positive or whimsical absurdity. They were influenced by psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud to create "unconscious paintings which correspond to a state of dreaming." They were trying to find a higher degree of reality. Surrealism frequently incorporates real objects in unreal situations and visual representations of dreams. It is understandable that Sage's artwork expressed a split between two worlds--reality and fantasy--when we consider her early life experiences. In 1949 Sage began to paint scenes that depicted strange steel structures that looked like shelters. In On the Contrary the shelter structure is shown in sharp detail and placed in an unreal or dreamlike landscape. Sage studied in Rome during a time when classical drawing was taught. This technique emphasized clarity, harmony, and order and its influence can be seen in this painting. The concept of a shelter-like structure or environment also appears in the following text Sage wrote in 1957:
Vocabulary
Terms Surrealism--Art that emphasizes fantasy and real objects in unreal situations; the look and feeling of dreams painted realistically. It includes surprise, contradiction and shock. symbol--Usually an image that stands for an idea or object. [ Return to the TOP of the page ] |
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Inner Worlds | What
Is Art? | Environment | Designing
Spaces and Places | Identity
About the Art | About the Artist| Discussion
Questions/Activities| Teacher Lessons