New Surrealism: The Uncanny in Contemporary Painting

by Robert Zeller

New The Uncanny in Contemporary Painting  by Robert Zeller offers a sweeping exposition of both historical Surrealism and its legacy in the world of contemporary art. It demonstrates the many ways in which the most significant art movement of the last century continues to be relevant today, featuring an international selection of contemporary artists whose compositions and studio practice reveal its influence. 

There are many modalities of historical Surrealism that still maintain contemporary presenting the familiar as unfamiliar and uncanny, the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated imagery, the use of absurdity to critique political or social issues, and the use of erotic imagery in an irrational, non-linear context. Not all the artists brought together in this book self-identify as Surrealist, per se, but each uses some variation of Surrealism in a personal manner.

The book begins with a study of the origins, leadership, participating artists, and major milestones of historical Surrealism. Zeller chronicles the movement starting at the end of World War I and the birth of Dada. The most important players and events emerge throughout the timeline of events—including World War II, and such notable artists as Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Leonora Carrington, and many others—up until the death of its leader Andre Breton in 1966.

Zeller then explores how elements of New Surrealism are being put into practice in the contemporary art world. Section Two offers a survey of 29 contemporary artists who engage in New Surrealism's seemingly unlimited variations of the movement's original themes, including Rosa Loy, Glenn Brown, and Arghavan Khosravi. Section Three features 14 artists, including important contemporary artists such as Inka Essenhigh, Ginny Casey and Anna Weyant, who speak to Surrealism's influence on their studio practice, detailing in their own words how they create a composition from start to finish.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

Published December 13, 2023

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bizarre and the beautiful collide in artistic works of surrealism, a movement that aimed to capture the unconscious mind and illogic of dreams through artistic exploration. It is a style that has always charmed me and New Surrealism: The Uncanny in Contemporary Art from artist Robert Zeller is an incredible coffee table book full of eye popping art that traces the lineage of surrealism from its early roots in Dadaism to the new generation of artists creating surrealist work in the present. A rather robust collection with a welcomed inclusive variety of artists—which is especially nice to see as women were often shoved out of the spotlight and Zeller gives special attention to the early surrealist women like Leonor Fini and Leonora Carrington who had previously been under-emphasized or overlooked in many surrealism textbooks—and features dazzling, full color photographs that you’ll want to spend hours pouring through. Approaching the topic through both historical reference and as an in-depth look at the creative process, New Surrealism is a fantastic book that is perfect for any art lover’s collection.

Artist Anna Weyant in her studio

I had requested this book through my library loan system but enjoyed it so much I ended up picking up a copy to keep. Now I just need a coffee table for all my coffee table books…which sounds like a bookworm version of the phrase “putting the cart before the horse” but I digress. I really enjoyed the breadth of information here and while the book centers contemporary art I was pleased to read through the history of surrealism that starts the collection. It’s a history I’ve read before but is always nice to revisit and I think Zeller does an excellent job of using that history as a basis to better understand the experiments and examinations of expression of those creating in the present. Plus there are so many great artworks on display:

Inka Essenhigh, Predawn in Early Spring, 2020

Or this one:

Lola Gil Proper Education, 2019

I could post photos all day really, I discovered a lot of great modern artists I’m really excited to check out and I think Zeller did a really great job of presenting a balance of text and artwork here while tying past and present together.

Victor Brauner, The Surrealist, 1947

Before we get much further, let's take a quick look at the history of Surrealism. It has its early origins in Dadaism, though Surrealism began to take on its own set of attributes and rules primarily forged by André Breton in works such as Manifestoes of Surrealism. Breton set goals for the group to “research” through their work:

—What are the possibilities for the dontinuity of dreams and their application to life’s problems?
—Do dreams explicitly harbor the causes of our preferences and our desires?
—What for of reason “broader than all others” gives dreams their “natural allure,” where everything seems possible for as long as the dream lasts?
—How can one conceive the “future resolution” of dreams and reality, apparently so utterly contradictory, in “the surreal”?

The surrealists really got their start with the first Surrealist Exhibition in 1925 opening at the Galerie Pierre in Paris and quickly grew in artists who wished to achieve their aim.

The surrealists in Peggy Guggenheim’s apartment

The group was predominantly men, though some of the best were the women in the group who were often overlooked such as my personal favorite, Leonora Carrington:

Basically, if they at some point dated Max Ernst, you can bet they were a fantastic painter.

Left: Dorothea Tanning and Max Ernst. Right: Carrington’s painting of Max Ernst
Now, sure, Ernst is pretty great too but I’ve always preferred the art of his partners such as the great Leonor Fini (I have a Fini hanging on my wall, its one of my prized possessions):

Leonor Fini, Gardienne des phoenix, 1952

Or also Dorothea Tanning:

Dorothea Tanning, A Little Night Music, 1943

Zeller ties a lot of the political activism of modern surrealist art to the political bent of the early surrealists and the infighting that often occurred over such matters. Members such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo had harbored Leon Trotsky after he fled the Soviet Union and Breton was interested in his critiques of Stalinism and had an interest in revolutionary art. The two would work together to write Manifesto
for an Independent Revolutionary Art, however after the assassination of Trotsky in his Mexican villa, Breton ‘realized that his vision of a Surrealist revolution would never happen under Marxism,’ and returned to his anarchist roots stating ‘it was in the black mirror of anarchism that Surrealism first recognized itself.’ Zeller proceeds to detail the progression from there, such as the New York School of the early 40s when Peggy Guggenheim opened her own gallery to introduce American audiences to women Surrealists in her exhibition, 31 Women featuring artists such as Frida Kahlo, Leopnora Carrington, Leonor Fini, Dorothea Tanning, and more. He then brings us up to the present and provides some excellent overviews of contemporary artists and their craft, which makes for a really fascinating read.

Robert Zeller, The Table, 2022

I enjoy how Zeller takes such great care to look at art as a process, highlighting the techniques used, their unique artistic philosophies, and the process of underpainting techniques, sketches, and other draftwork that goes into it.

Pre-painting sketch by Zeller

I find it sort of adorable that he gives his own art such a large amount of real estate in the book which, sure he gets to show off his cool art, but also is so open and vulnerable about his process that I found it to be my favorite section of the whole book. It is really cool and inspiring to see the process and get an inside view of the artists ideas.


Alessandro Bianchi Sicioldr, Il Sonno, 2020


Glenn Brown, Black Ships Ate the Sky 2020

New Surrealism is a really cool book with a great and inclusive variety of artists over the past century. As always there are some I liked more than others and a few that, while I liked what they are doing, felt almost too much like already well known artists of the past. But I’m not one to judge, nobody will ever read any of my bad poetry and not think “huh this is maybe too much like Charles Simic” so whatever, paint what you love, painters! This is a fantastic book and I will be returning to it again and again.

4/5


Ginny Casey, Overflow, 2020


Rosa Loy, Lolly, 2018

[Simon Goldenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best part of this book is in the end, when Zeller introduces a handful "new surrealist" painters, and then lets them describe their creative processes, including some of their technical approach.

[Sherry Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice and useful as an overview of surrealism; its history and contemporaries. The first third of it is a historical primer of the movement, which was interesting to read against other accounts of the movement like Morris' Lives of the Surrealists. Morris in particular was not very charitable to Andre Breton, while Zeller here highlights Breton's organizational and leadership qualities. The rest of the book is dedicated solely to contemporary artists, and as someone not as plugged into the contemporary art world, I really enjoyed learning about the artists currently working in the style and their work. It's good to get away from the notion that art is only being done in the past, and that there are no groundbreaking artists doing their work today.

My one gripe with Zeller is that he frequently uses language like "feminine sensibilities" or "feminine touch" to describe a female artist's work. While womanhood and a female perspective certainly comes up in a lot of these works, it felt a bit reductive, especially when he couldn't really point out what that "xxx style with a feminine touch" really meant. He also seems to equate communism with Stalinism and his political views bleed through a little bit, but overall it's not very obvious, especially to a reader who isn't as alert to it.

[M Shomaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at modern artists in the surrealist vein. Provides a historical overview of surrealism ala Dada-Breton-Tzara through some of the most well-known working in the 20th century (Frida, Picasso, Carrington, Tanning). Plenty of modern working artists (some I liked include: Lars Elling, Adrian Ghenie, and Gretchen Scherer) and a section on the workflow of these modern artists. Good overview and reference book.