FLAT SURREALISM MANIFESTO

EARLY SURREALISM

Surrealism was born in the aftermath of World War 1 in order to shock the world by protesting disgust through art. Surrealism was not an artistic art movement, like for example impressionism was. The surrealists set out to revolt against the establishment, and to become anti-artists.

Surrealism in World War 1 was also the merge of psychosis and poetry. Poets like Guillaume Appolinaire [b.1880 Rome, d.1918 Paris], and Andre Breton [French, b.1896, d.1966] were intrigued by the deeper, or sometimes psychotic workings of the mind.

Even after a significant decline in popularity in the 1940s, psychiatric communities worldwide as a form of therapy and self-expression embraced Surrealism. The idea of self-expression in a deeper level is very therapeutic especially when emotions can't be expressed with words. This type of surreal art falls under the umbrella name of OUTSIDER ART.

Some art critics believe that someone in the psychiatric community will introduce the next art movement. Perhaps a master work of art is hanging in a psychiatric hospital.

FLAT SURREALISM

Flat Surrealism is a new art movement which came about by accident in 1995 in a painting called "Last Minute Praying" executed by [me] Michael Alzamora. The progression from this painting to the present [2004-], and beyond, has led me to solidify the meaning of FLAT SURREALISM. Read on to find out what constitutes this painting as a FLAT SURREAL work of art.

Flat Surrealism is a simple concept. I like to call it "children's art." You don't have to be a good draughtsman. However you do require a good imagination.

There are three basic components of a Flat Surreal painting. They are objects, symbols, and juxtapositions. All these components co-exist in a single plane.

Objects are used as symbols as part of a composition. This idea originates from the Symbolist art movement of the 19th century. Emile Bernard [French,1868 - 1941] was a leading Symbolist painter influential to Paul Gauguin [French, 1848 - 1903]. Bernard felt that artists should remove themselves from logical everyday life and explore dreams and hallucinations through symbols. Flat Surrealism creates a dialogue or relationship between objects. All Flat Surreal objects are in a single plane. In Flat Surrealism, relationships between objects are made by colour, shape, size, and meaning.

Juxtapositions are realistic meanings derived from surreal objects when they are compared. These objects alone are only a piece of a puzzle. Alone their meaning is vague.

APPLIED FLAT SURREALISM

"Flat Surreal" paintings are flat in appearance, yet very symbolic. In my case the symbols are expressions of symptoms of Schizophrenia. My paintings show several symbols that appear in different paintings. They are:

First, "fossils" embedded in mountainous landscapes represent entrapment by illness. In Schizophrenia, like in "fossils," there is a sense of helplessness from being trapped by the surroundings.

Second, the "predatory fish clouds" symbolize delusions of persecution. The fact that these clouds are about to swallow the Sun, illustrate persecution, and accentuate flatness by having the predatory cloud in the same plane as the Sun.

Third, the "smoking fish clouds" which I refer to as "Polluting Fish Clouds" are absurd and funny at a glance. On close observation, the clouds are always juxtaposed with "fossils." As stated before, "fossils" represent entrapment by schizophrenia. The fact that the clouds are smoking, they represent damage to the environment. Damage is translated to personal harm in a Schizophrenic mind.

Fourth, "The Crack Of Dawn" is a sky of egg clusters representing clouds. One egg detaches from its "egg cluster," and cracks open revealing the Sun. This surreal event symbolizes a new beginning and freedom. The juxtaposition between the "cracked egg" (Sun) and the rest of the "egg clusters" (clouds) also accentuates flatness. The juxtaposition between "The Crack of Dawn" sky and the "fossilized" landscapes suggests two things: Entrapment by Schizophrenia, and periodic freedom from mental illness as represented by sunrise. The beginning of a new day suggests that the cure for Schizophrenia is near by.

Most recently, [2003--] my paintings have taken a joy and lightness celebrating the dawn of a healthy and happy life. Figurative shapes of human and plant elements fused together represent this state of rejuvenation. Some paintings exhibit floating eyeballs like Helium balloons, others with trumpets as appendages.