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Surrealist Black and White Photography

SURREALIST STYLE

In the wake of World War I’s ravaging of Europe, artists delved into the unconscious mind to confront and grapple with this reality. Poet and critic André Breton, a leader of the Surrealist movement who authored the 1924 Surrealist Manifesto, called this approach “a violent reaction against the impoverishment and sterility of thought processes that resulted from centuries of rationalism.” Surrealist art emerged in the 1920s with dreamlike and uncanny imagery guided by a variety of techniques such as automatic drawing, which can be likened to a stream of consciousness, to channel psychological experiences.

Although Surrealism was a groundbreaking approach for European art, its practitioners were inspired by Indigenous art and ancient mysticism for reenvisioning how sculptures, paintings, prints, performance art and more could respond to the unsettled world around them.

Surrealist artists were also informed by the Dada movement, which originated in 1916 Zurich and embraced absurdity over the logic that had propelled modernity into violence. Some of the Surrealists had witnessed this firsthand, such as Max Ernst, who served in the trenches during World War I, and Salvador Dalí, whose otherworldly paintings and other work responded to the dawning civil war in Spain.

Other key artists associated with the revolutionary art and literary movement included Man Ray, Joan Miró, René Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Frida Kahlo and Meret Oppenheim, all of whom had a distinct perspective on reimagining reality and freeing the unconscious mind from the conventions and restrictions of rational thought. Pablo Picasso showed some of his works in “La Peinture Surréaliste” — the first collective exhibition of Surrealist painting — which opened at Paris’s Galerie Pierre in November of 1925. (Although Magritte is best known as one of the visual Surrealist movement’s most talented practitioners, his famous 1943 painting, The Fifth Season, can be interpreted as a formal break from Surrealism.)

The outbreak of World War II led many in the movement to flee Europe for the Americas, further spreading Surrealism abroad. Generations of modern and contemporary artists were subsequently influenced by the richly symbolic and unearthly imagery of Surrealism, from Joseph Cornell to Arshile Gorky.

Find a collection of original Surrealist paintings, sculptures, prints and multiples and more art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Surrealist
"Adam" Black White Photography 16" x 16" in Edition of 24 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Adam" Black & White Photography 16" x 16" in Edition of 24 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Ladybugs" Nude Photography 39" x 39" inch Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Ladybugs" Nude Photography 39" x 39" inch Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the artist ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Modern Traditions 2" Photography 39" x 39" inch Edition 1/3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Modern Traditions 2" Photography 39" x 39" inch Edition 1/3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Modern Traditions 2" Photography 31" x 31" inch Edition 1/7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Modern Traditions 2" Photography 31" x 31" inch Edition 1/7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Modern Traditions 2" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Modern Traditions 2" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Modern Traditions 1" Photography 31" x 31" inch Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Modern Traditions 1" Photography 31" x 31" inch Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Ballet" Black White Photography 39" x 39" in Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Ballet" Black & White Photography 39" x 39" in Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Music is Eternal" Photography 39" x 39" in Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Music is Eternal" Photography 39" x 39" in Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the artist...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Moon Birth" Photography 39" x 39" in Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Moon Birth" Photography 39" x 39" in Edition of 3 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tube. Available...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Black Moon" Black White Photography 31" x 31" in Ed. of 7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Black Moon" Black White Photography 31" x 31" in Ed. of 7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Not framed. Ships in a tub...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Ballet" Black White Photography 31" x 31" in Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Ballet" Black & White Photography 31" x 31" in Edition of 7 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Lily 1" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Lily 1" Photography 24" x 24" inch Edition 1/15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by the artist Not fra...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"About Love" Black White Photography 24" x 24" in Ed. of 15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"About Love" Black White Photography 24" x 24" in Ed. of 15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Comes with COA issued by t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

"Black Moon" Black White Photography 24" x 24" in Ed. 2/15 by Olha Stepanian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Black Moon" Black & White Photography 24" x 24" in Ed. 2/15 by Olha Stepanian Printed on Epson Professional Paper Signed and numbered by the artist Co...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Untitled - (High heel shoe with Eiffel Tower)
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 15 Signed, dated and numbered in pencil on print verso by Chema Madoz Paper size: 24 x 19 3/4 in., Image size: 22 3/4 x 18 in. Chema Madoz is one of the most important co...
Category

1990s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Monument, Surrealist Photograph by Herbert Bayer
Located in Long Island City, NY
Herbert Bayer, Austrian (1900 - 1985) - Monument, Year: 1932 (Printed 1969), Medium: Gelatin Silver Print, signed, dated and numbered in pencil, Edition: 6/40, Image Size: 13.75 ...
Category

1930s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Fading Beauty
Located in New York, NY
With his works included in the permanent collection at the Norton and the New Britain Museum, Drew Tal’s successful career has been nothing but a soaring ascension into the global ar...
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogram

Fading Beauty
Price Upon Request
Bud of the Bud
Located in New York, NY
“Ink Stories”, which was introduced at Nyari’s very first solo gallery exhibit, consists of large-scale nude photographs that explore the concept of self-identity and female empowerment. The series joins six women together, each who have faced adversity, to demonstrate the creation of a strengthened self-image through tattoos. By highlighting the intricate woven threads of ink on each woman’s skin, Nyari proposes the idea that self-empowerment and reconciliation with one’s traumas can be linked to the act of greeting one’s “own skin” or inventing their own story. Nyari has now elevated these intimate photographs in her new Punctured Ink series through the process of puncturing botanical-like references into the surface of each image (thus making each one of a kind). Her inspiration to physically puncture the previously pristine photographic prints stemmed from a childhood memory that occurred while she was living in Finland: “I remembered my parents had this big pad of paper next to the home phone...
Category

2010s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Photogram, Archival Pi...

Portrait of Roger Parry
By Maurice Tabard
Located in New York, NY
Stamped, verso Vintage silver print 9 x 7 inches 18 x 15.5 inches, framed Roger Parry learned photography from Maurice Tabard by working as his studio assistant in 1928. In 1929 the...
Category

1930s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled [Science]
Located in New York, NY
Varnished photo montage on paper
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Untitled (Philosopher s Desk)
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Signed on the front. Contact gallery for prices and available sizes as they are subject to change - available as a 11 x 14 or 16 x 20 inch gelatin silver prints. All works are open e...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Wagon Wheel
Located in Hudson, NY
Print is available in sizes from small to mural. Edition of 25. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is produced upon purchase. Please allow two weeks for production. Shipping time depends on method of shipping. Price is subject to availability. The Robin Rice Gallery reserves the right to adjust this price depending on the current edition of the photograph. ABOUT: Inside the gallery, the viewer is surrounded by an arresting display of glamour in the wild. Drawing inspiration from classical paintings and geometric forms, Greg Lotus' work has been compared to Herb Ritts, Man Ray and Richard Avedon, and his exhibition fuses his high fashion background with the rural environment of his youth. Yet Lotus admits to no formal training throughout his career, "I'm completely self-taught, lots of trial and error over the years." His foray into fashion photography was a twist of fate. In the 90s he was sharing living quarters with young models, and began photographing them to help them build their portfolios—work that eventually brought his work to the attention of agencies. When it comes to his own models, Lotus prefers the "unspoiled" types, holding castings to find those with quirk as well as beauty. "Over time, most artists develop their own palette and look using color and light in a very personal way. I express my own aesthetic sense which is what makes my work recognizable, regardless of subject or setting." "Swimmer Cap," is an example of Lotus' signature pop of color. Here, a cast of sinewy models convene in a locker room; their candy-colored swim caps give the piece its surreal, dreamlike quality. In the invitation piece, "Nurses" beauties in black bathing suits pop against a light background while being hosed down by a nurse. "You can almost feel the spray and hear the whoosh under the miniskirt," says Lotus. Besides the visual play on light and dark, he says water is the linking element that turns the piece theatrical and makes it breathe. Greg Lotus was born in 1967 in rural West Virginia. He shot in Paris and New York City before settling in Miami to pursue his craft. After landing his first major job in Europe, Lotus interviewed with the editor of Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Wagon Wheel
Price Upon Request

Surrealist black and white photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Surrealist black and white photography available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Rosemary Ellis, Chema Madoz, Brian Ziff, and Alfred Gescheidt. Frequently made by artists working with Silver Gelatin Print, and Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Surrealist black and white photography, so small editions measuring 4.5 inches across are also available. Prices for black and white photography made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $110 and tops out at $26,500, while the average work sells for $1,350.

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