Drawing Surrealism

Recently I went to LACMA, and one of the exhibits I visited was "Drawing Surrealism." A piece that really attracted my attention was E.L.T. Mesens's The Disconcerting Light (La Lumiere deconcertante) (1926). 

Its medium was a photo collage and photogram. The focal point of this piece is an eye pupil with a light beam extending across the black sky. The eye is embedded into a cityscape with skyscrapers and other city buildings. I can definitely see the juxtaposition of non-related items signature of Dadaism. What defines this piece from the earlier Surrealist works is the assembly of photos creating a non-seamless product. I liked this component of the piece—the photographs layered together added a sense of eclecticism. I also really enjoyed the contrast between the tones of the pitch-black sky and the white light beam. The composition was put very well together and there is harmony despite the contrasting images.

This piece reminded me of the whole gestalt project; I could image it in black and white gouache.