Underlooked Abstract and Surreal 1: November 5,

Every week or two I'll be putting together a collection of underlooked abstract and surreal artwork and photography (I'm defining "underlooked" as "less than 300 views" if it was overlooked the views would be higher, right? ). As this is my first time doing this feature, today's highlights could be anything - anything at all. Starting tomorrow I'll be collecting a few each day that catch my eye! If you see something good this week and want to see it featured, send a note to me with a link to the deviation.


Abstract Art
Abstract art is intended to evoke a feeling by the use of shape, color and imagery. The best abstract art will not represent actual objects such as candlesticks or rocket ships, but instead let the viewer's imagination run free and interpret what they see as they wish. When looking for good examples of abstract art, I think of Miro, Mondrian, Kandinksy, and Klee. Also, when I look for good abstract art, I look at framing and arrangement of the elements, color choices and contrasts, and - because this is dA -  whether the thumbnail gives a good impression of the larger piece.

Abstract: Digital
"Digital" doesn't mean "easy!" (It also doesn't mean fractal art, or wallpapers - both of those are represented fairly well in other dA features.) My main criterion for this category, as well as for traditional abstract art, is that it is actually abstract, and not just random.

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Abstract: Photography
Some of the best abstract photography makes you continually wonder what the heck the photographer was looking at. That's my main criterion for this category.

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Abstract: Traditional
Again, my main criterion for this category, as well as for digital abstract art, is that it is actually abstract, and not just random.

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Surrealist Art
Surrealist art is also intended to evoke a feeling, but unlike abstract art, it uses juxtaposition of often familiar objects to create a sense of unreality, or dreamlike feelings, as surrealism is heavily into exploring the subconscious state of mind. In my opinion, the definitive surrealist works are by Dali and Magritte, and that's what I'm looking for here as well. I also look at the same secondary considerations: framing, arrangement, color choice, and whether the thumbnail gives a good representation of the piece.

Surrealist: Digital

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Surrealist: Photography
Surreal photography can be achieved by either juxtaposing familiar objects in unfamiliar ways, or doing camera tricks such as multiple exposures or variance in shutter speeds to achieve a dreamlike effect.

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Surrealist: Traditional

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See you next week!