Tate Modern’s retrospective on the much-overlooked surrealist pioneer Dora Maar shines a light on a radical and experimental vision that stretched across different genres and mediums.

Ukraine-based photographer and image manipulation artist Diana Dihaze brings into existence a world that's somewhat like our own, except darker and at times more frightening, using and combining the familiar elements of our world and turning them into implements of terror or the surreal.

Imagine a world where your dreams and the way they distort reality can be reproduced on canvas, paper or some other material on which artists paint. Doesn’t that sound amazing? Well, if you are the type to let your imagination take over and rule over your interest in the world of art, then you will like it surrealism and the paintings that are inspired by it. The thing about surrealism is that it strives to represent the images of the unconscious mind making it very bizarre albeit fascinating to look at. In fact, taking a teenager to look at surrealistic art is the best way on how to involve teenagers in art projects.

We absolutely love every single surreal photographer/artist that we write about, but much of their work tends to be rather melancholy or down-right dark. Not so with German art director Robert Jahns (a.k.a. Nois7 on Instagram), whose beautiful and adventurous images will inspire you and brighten your day. His images are surreal, but many of them are only subtly dream-like or unreal – it all looks like a normal photograph until you spot that one mystical detail that takes his image into the realm of fantasy.

A one of a kind view of the world expressed in drawings. You know that maxim, "A picture is worth a thousand words"? That is how I would summarise Miles Johnston's work. Beautiful concepts hidden in illustrations waiting to be discovered. When found by different people, as if by magic, they unearth different meanings. Having given these surreal pieces titles, made the images even more fascinating and helped me crystallise these drawings into meaningful pieces of art. For more of Johnston's work here on DesignStack, press this LINK. Turn the world upside down. Press the Image to Enlarge it. We feel trapped by the way we look. Press the Image to Enlarge it. At what point do you start thinking maybe... I'm right? Press the Image to Enlarge it. Is this the equivalent of rings in a tree? Press the Image to Enlarge it. Manipulation can be ever so subtle... Press the Image to Enlarge it. Threads of love. Press the Image to Enlarge it. The many versions of us. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Look below the surface to find the answers. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Inverted. Press the Image to Enlarge it. Take a better look at yourself. Press the Image to Enlarge it. You are not part of the background. Press the Image to Enlarge it.

Here's a detail of an Erik Thor Sandberg painting

Rene Magritte was undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic artists of the 20th century. He helped shape the visual language of Surrealism through rendering the most commonplace things as strange by placing them in uncanny scenes and circumstances. Classically trained, Magritte utilized the conventions of painting to subvert representation and highlight the oddness surrounding his recognizable images. There is a wonderful tension between his transparent technique and his opaque subject matter, adding a level of irony and humor to his paintings — a trait unique to the Belgian Surrealist, setting him apart in an often dark art movement. "The mind loves the unknown. It loves images whose meaning is unknown, since the meaning of the mind itself is unknown.” — Rene Magritte Though recognition and critical praise was somewhat elusive for the artist for most of his life, he is known and beloved worldwide today as one of most innovative and creative of all the Surrealists. Read on to learn more about this visionary of the 20th-century avant garde. Childhood and Early Life Magritte claimed to have few memories of his childhood and little is known about his early life, but using what we do know, we can find clues to his early influences. Magritte was born in 1898 in Lessines, Belgium. His father was a tailor and his mother a milliner before she was married, foreshadowing the artist’s famous paintings of formulaic bourgeois men in bowler hats and tailored suits. His mother tragically committed suicide in 1912 by drowning herself in the Sambre River and was found in the water with her nightdress covering her face — a haunting detail that may have stuck with Magritte. The Lovers, 1928, Museum of Modern Art, New York However, some of Magritte’s most vivid early experiences were rather whimsical and serendipitous. Once, in a highly strange and humorous occurrence, a runaway hot air balloon fell onto the roof of his family’s home and required maneuvers by a team of men to retrieve. The absurdity of the situation must not have been lost on the young Magritte. In another charming anecdote, he first met his future wife, Georgette Berger, at a fair when they were both teenagers, but the two wouldn’t meet again for seven years. In 1920, they reconnected in Brussels, and Georgette subsequently became Magritte’s model, muse and wife. They would stay together the rest of his life. The Beautiful Relations, 1967, Private Collection At age 18, he enrolled at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Brussels where he took little interest in the traditional style of instruction but surrounded himself with fascinating young members of the avant garde. His earliest works leaned toward Impressionism, Futurism and Cubism, but an encounter with a copy of a painting by Giorgio de Chirico, The Song of Love, inspired him in a different direction — Surrealism. The Song of Love by Giorgio de Chirico, Museum of Modern Art, New York Surrealist Beginnings Early in his career, Magritte supported himself as an artist by working as a draftsman for a wallpaper company and a freelance commercial artist creating advertising posters. He was eventually able to devote himself to painting full time after receiving a contract with Galerie Le Centaure in Brussels. From there, he began to blossom as an artist and painted his first Surrealist composition, The Lost Jockey. The Lost Jockey, 1926, Private collection Shortly after, in 1927, he held his first solo exhibition at Le Centaure. Unfortunately, the critics were not impressed, leaving Magritte devastated and depressed. He and Georgette decided to move to Paris, which would give him his next push towards Surrealism. In Paris, he became friends with André Breton, the father of Surrealism, who welcomed Magritte into a group of like-minded artists including Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró and Max Ernst. With this encouragement, he began developing his own style of Surrealism marked by humor, simple graphics and everyday imagery placed in unusual contexts, and he quickly became a leader in the movement. During this time, Magritte began experimenting with text on his canvases. This would lead to one of his greatest works, The Treachery of Images, in which he painted a simple tobacco pipe against a plain background with the words, "Ceci n'est pas une pipe," French for "This is not a pipe." It was not a pipe, but rather a drawing of a pipe, and its goal was to challenge the viewers' perceptions of what an image is and is not. It was the birth of the Magrittean phenomenon of an object being a copy without an original. The Treachery of Images, 1929, Los Angeles County Museum of Art The pipe perplexed. Magritte said of the reaction to it, “The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture 'This is a pipe', I'd have been lying!” Some critics derided his work as too representational or commercial, an aesthetic likely stemming from his time as an advertising artist. However, his style would be influential on Pop and Abstract Expressionist artists like Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns who famously painted images that blurred the lines between reality and representation. WWII and Sunlit Surrealism Despite his artistic breakthroughs, Magritte was struggling financially, forcing his move back to Brussels in 1930. There, he opened an ad agency with his brother and had little time for painting over the next few years. Gradually, he returned to his art and in 1936 was granted his first solo show in the United States at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York; this was followed by a place in the Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. These successes would lead to an exhibition in London the following year. At the onset of World War II, German occupation forced Magritte to flee Belgium for Carcassonne, France. The artist reacted to the brutality and darkness of the war through a drastic shift in his style. Hitler’s success in causing widespread panic and confusion had deeply disturbed Magritte, and he felt that Surrealism’s often dark and chaotic moods must change in response. He began to paint in a markedly more colorful, painterly style but maintained the dreamy, mysterious air of his earlier work. After the war had ended, he distanced himself from the Surrealist group and authored a manifesto entitled Surrealism in Full Sunlight. Although a lesser-know artistic period for Magritte, his output from this time is an important and rare look into a more personal side of the artist and how to find light in dark times. International Recognition Nearing the end of the 1940s, Magritte returned to the styles and themes of his pre-war art, and in the 1950s, his international fame began to grow. In 1954, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels presented the first retrospective of his work, and two years later, he was awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Award and participated in the first Guggenheim International Award exhibition. He was a favorite artist of Peggy Guggenheim, and she collected many of his works. Other retrospectives followed, including one at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1965. This marked Magritte’s first and only visit to America. The Empire of Light, 1954, Peggy Guggenheim Collection Sadly, Magritte’s death came just as the recognition he had sought for so long was arriving. He died in 1967 in Brussels shortly after the opening of yet another exhibition of his work at the Museum Boymans-van Beuningen in Rotterdam. Following his death, four more retrospectives were planned all over the globe. In the decades after his passing, Magritte’s paintings became coveted by museums and collectors, and not one, but two Magritte museums have since opened in Belgium. His work has inspired other fine artists and pop culture, influencing songs, movies, books and plays. His images have become iconic across the world, and he remains a fascination. References: Foster, Hal, Rosalind E. Krauss, Yve-Alain Bois, B. H. D. Buchloh, and David Joselit. Art since 1900. 1900-1944: Modernism, Antimodernism, Postmodernism. New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2016. Hammacher, A. M., and James Brockway. René Magritte. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1985. “Painting Under Crisis: Magritte and World War II · SFMOMA.” · SFMOMA. Accessed April 1, 2020. https://www.sfmoma.org/read/painting-under-crisis-magritte-and-world-war-ii/.

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Animals and plants—or nature in general—have always been a huge inspiration to many artists across the world. But have any of us ever tried to imagine what these subjects would look like when combined? Well, a creative French agency called Les Creatonautes has been quite busy doing just that. This past year they have created a series of digital collages that combine sporting goods, animals, and edible objects all into one, and here’s the result.

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Welcome to our newest addition to the art gallery - a mesmerizing artwork that encapsulates the essence of surrealism, inspired by the legendary artist Salvador Dali. Crafted with an intriguing blend of surrealistic principles and masterful artistry, this exclusive piece presents the portrait of a man's head floating above a desert landscape. The painting is a fascinating exploration of Dali's signature style, evocative of the classical yet revolutionary approach he brought to the art world. It harmoniously aligns with Dali's well-known fascination with dreams, psychology, and the subconscious. The depiction of the man's floating head vividly echoes the spirit of surrealism and adds an elusive, thought-provoking quality to the canvas. Predominantly dominated by earth tones with sporadic bursts of vibrant hues, the color palette of this digital print enhances the surrealistic elements and successfully creates an otherworldly ambiance. The characteristic desert landscape is rendered with incredible attention to detail, showing our commitment to preserving Dali's love for bizarre yet visually stunning sceneries. It becomes a visual puzzle, urging the viewer to untangle the narrative within the canvas. From the ethereal horizon, the striking man's head to the barren, vast desert - each aspect of the artwork prompts an intriguing story waiting to be discovered. This unique piece of the Surrealistic Salvador Dali inspired portrait is available in a range of original custom canvas and digital prints. Whether you are an ardent lover of surrealism or a casual art enthusiast, this piece promises to be a conversation starter and an enchanting addition to any art collection. This original custom-commissioned work serves as a testament to Salvador Dali's enduring influence, a tribute to his creative genius, and our unceasing dedication to keep art alive in all its eccentric glory

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Time is a really popular theme in photo manipulation. The most used item is the clock that is creatively added in most of the time inspired photo manipulations. Another item is the hourglass that is also used to depict the time passing illusion. Here you have an interesting time Photoshop tutorial that you might want to check out.