Surrealist Motion Volume One (2008)

Surrealist Motion Volume One (2008)
Director: Jonathan Knape
Country: Sweden
Runtime: 41:30 min

The people at Filmic Art have 'intended to create Surrealistic works with motion suited for flat LCD-plasma screens. Influenced by some well known surrealist paintings, this silent collection of four animated vignettes is an attempt to bring to life Salvador Dali-esque artwork in the comfort of your own living room. How much you get out of it will likely depend on your appreciation of painted surrealism and/or the state of mind you're in when you watch it.

So without further ado, here's a look at what happens in the four 'paintings' contained on this disc:
Directed by Jonathan Knape Sweden, Ambient, 2008,

Room With A View: (10:10)
In this work we have set-up a room with some objects that we have paraphrased from Rene Magritte. The idea with a painting within a painting is not new and could be seen already in early Dutch 14th ... still photo from the film

This Castle Is Not Located In The Pyrenees: (10:00)
The painting Castle in the Pyrenees 1959 by Magritte has obviously been an inspiration for us in the creation of this work. Magritte gave the title as a play on the French expression "Châteaux en ... still photo from the film

Prairie Serenades: (7:02)
In Magritte's work Voice of the Winds from 1928, three iron bells hover above the ground symbolizing the sound of the wind. In our work there are three wooden churches on a prairie that slowly lift ... still photo from the film

Persistence of the Watchful Eye: (13:00)
In this work, we have used Salvador Dali and his painting Persistence of Memory from 1931 as inspiration. However, the only object that we actually have paraphrased from this painting is the idea ..

It's hard to know exactly what to make of these four computer generated moving paintings. It is meant for a specific audience and if you're not a member of that target demographic, you may not have a predisposed inkling to appreciate what they've done. What can be said is that this material does effectively capture the look and feel of the work of the surrealist painters who inspired it. At the same time, watching 41 min of slow moving paintings shift and turn and morph and change isn't exactly a recipe for excitement...