The painting, Persistence of Memory, captivates me. As I wander around in it, I wonder about the closeness of the symbols in the foreground, the elusive subject of time in our reality and the distance fading away…..so out of reach. I enjoy thinking about the ideas and questions it evokes. It begs the mental state of “there’s plenty of time”, a glass of wine and maybe a hammock.
“Surrealism is destructive, but it only destroys what it considers our shackles limiting our vision.” Salvador Dali
Those “shackles” are beliefs. Only beliefs limit our vision. I recognize that my beliefs are constantly changing. I love the idea that as I let go of beliefs that limit any of my senses, I experience more freedom, more love, more joy…..MORE!
Magritte’s painting, below, does the same thing. It makes me smile. Don’t you love a painting that is full of symbols encouraging you to think, to ponder, and to give in to silence long enough to take it in, relish it and allow yourself to enjoy it for what it is without having to put words to it, judge it or make any kind of sense out of it?
I like to think that the surrealist painters were reaching for maximum joy by allowing their subconscious feelings, emotions and ideas to be realized physically in the form of drawings, paintings and sculptures.
All creators, no matter what form their art takes, receive from their subconscious and reach for total satisfaction and joy. How can it be otherwise? Those who insist that creators must suffer for their art are barking up the wrong tree. Only an inspired, focused journey full of pleasure can produce a satisfying result.
