In a world where creating art is almost always viewed as a solo sport, Jim and Lynn Lemyre (two surrealist painters from New Jersey) are bucking the trend by sharing their canvases and making collaborative works of art.
As is the case with most surrealist artists, Lynn and Jim take what is “known” and add something entirely unexpected to it—creating works that tease the viewers’ conscious minds with fantastic visions that are normally found only in dreams or the imagination.
What I found delightfully out of the ordinary in the Lemyre’s work (even for the genre of Surrealism) was the very subtle, very graceful imagery that they used. In addition, part of the appeal of Surrealism is the believability of a piece, and Jim and Lynn have captured that at every turn.
For example, in the piece to the left, entitled Red Flight, there’s just one element that makes this a surrealist work: that shadow on the canvas.
Without that shadow, this would a beautiful painting. With it, it’s a beautiful painting that—at some level—forces an interaction between the viewer and the work of art.
That shadow causes viewers to question the bird’s place in relationship to the landscape. . . and more than that, to question their own place in relationship to the work of art as a whole.
At the same time, it’s done so naturally, so beautifully, that it’s hard to rationally disagree with that painting, no matter what your brain may say about the logic of a shadow on the sky.
This next piece by the Lemyres is a more traditional (if that’s the correct word to use) work of surrealist art, showing the melding of two normally incompatible scenes: a wide-open, rather desolate landscape, and a table set with food and wine.
Whether it’s meant to be a call to action or simply a paradox, I don’t know, but the realism is perfect in both the food and tablecloth, and the lonely landscape.
And now for my favorite painting of all. . .
Occasionally I find a work of art that simply hits it out of the ballpark. The concept in this last painting (of a boat floating over the surface of water) is, in my opinion, perfectly suited to the inherent surrealism of a foggy gray landscape.
Just take a look at this painting, and ask yourself—where does the water end?
If you think about it logically, water is in the air as well as underneath the boat, since the fog is merely an extension of the water below.
And perhaps, in this instance, a boat riding on the mist isn’t so out of the ordinary. . . look farther out, and your eyes will tell you that not only is the boat floating, but so is the distant landscape.
Good surrealist art makes you question your senses; makes you believe that there are possibilities beyond what we see, hear, smell, and touch every single day.
Jim and Lynn’s artwork is that good.
So today, if you have a moment, I hope you’ll head on over to www.lemyreart.com and check out the rest of their work. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
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