Surrealism in fashion photography

Surrealism originated in the late 1910s and early ’20s as a movement that experimented with a new form of expression, which explored the subconsciousness, dreams and how reality can be manipulated. It officially began in Paris in 1924 with the publication of the Manifesto of Surrealism by the poet and critic André Breton (1896–1966). Breton, was heavily influenced by psychological theories and dream studies by Sigmund Freud and the political ideas of Karl Marx. Through Freudian theories, surrealism began to explore reality within the mind and how society can constrain and limit an individual in various ways. Objects and motifs were often used to create symbols for self-expression, in order to subvert social norms, for example, Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali collaborated were both renowned fashion photographers that incorporated surrealism in their fashion photography. Schiaparelli and Dali use Surrealism to their advantage, by using unorthodox methods to create silhouettes and symbols; ‘the Shoe Hat’ photo was taken in 1937-38 and is one of the surrealist fashion photo made in collaboration. The hat derived from a drawing by Dali, which in turn evolved from a 1933 photograph Gala Dali took of her husband wearing a woman's shoe on his head and another on his right shoulder. This created dark silhouette.

Over time, Surrealist photography has developed within the fashion industry: the modern photographer, Miles Aldridge, displays photos of often brightly lit settings, with fluorescent colours. He uses elements of cinematography and surrealism in his photos, in order to confront the issues of religion, glamour, domestic roles in society, popular culture and 1950s america. Aldridge suberts the normal, social image of women and society, as he focuses on how women are often portrayed as domestic beings. His photographs have previously been displayed in gallery and museum exhibitions, as well as many magazines such as The New York Times, Vogue Italia, TIME and Numéro. There are several books devoted to his work such as I Only Want You to Love Me (2013) and Please return Polaroid (2016).

I have chosen the photo ‘roses’ from the album of ‘I Only Want You to Love Me’, where Aldridge uses vivid colours of red, blue and green. In this photo, Aldridge uses various motifs, such as the broken teacup and the luminous red roses. This is a staged photo, which depicts a woman dressed from the 1950s, and uses red roses and the green bush as the background, which surrounds the main subject. The subject is portrayed with doll-like features; her eyebrows are thin, her contours are prominent, she is wearing bright red lipstick and blue eyeshadow. The red lipstick possibly represents how women are often seen as sexual objects or beings. The makeup highlights how women are expected to embrace this feminine, sexual image. The fluorescent colours of blue, red, green, are used in two different ways; the bright colours create a hyper-reality, which makes everything appear brighter and happier, in order to hide the distortion of reality. Aldridge also uses the colours as motifs; the red roses could possibly be used to symbolise femininity, as, during the 50s, women were often portrayed as fragile and innocent beings - the rose could also symbolise beauty and youth, as women are often expected to uphold an image of beauty and youthfulness, in order to appear as the perfect housewife in society. To enhance this concept, Aldridge has also painted the roses onto the woman’s body, signifying how she is slowly being consumed by this idealist image of women - society has reduced her essences of existence; the delicate roses now define her beauty as a woman. This is made clear, as Aldridge has composed the image so it appears as though the subject has been pushed into the roses and the bush. This demonstrates how she has been subjected to embrace the stereotypical image of women. The colour blue is usually associated with dreams and tranquillity, however, the blue colours are very vibrant, which reinforces the concept of surrealism - here surrealism is used to subvert the idea of blue being a tranquil colour, as the blue colour is used to enhance the idea of this dystopian hyper-reality. The broken teacup could be a motive for the idea of society and the institution of marriage during the 50s being broken and damaged. The idealistic image of a perfect wife is a woman who is passive and carries out most of the activities of the households, in order to remain in the domestic sphere of society. 

Simultaneously, various artists have also approached surrealism in fashion photography in a similar way, for example in Sayaka Maruyama projects called ‘Sakura’ and ‘Girls with Flowers’, she explores how western and eastern cultures collectively define Japanese beauty. Maruyama’s work is truly inspiring, as it captures the complexity of how women are defined by society. 

I endeavoured to resonate my work with Sayaka Maruyama work, as I really wanted to capture the paradox of women being seen as weak beings. Maruyama named her series ‘Sakura’, translating to the flowering of a cherry tree in Japanese; in Japanese culture the cherry blossom tree represent ‘goodness, virtue and respect’. The significance of the cherry blossom tree in Japanese culture represents the delicacy and the beauty of life. The cherry blossom tree is very short lived, reminding people of the short and temporary nature of life. It is clear that Maruyama has utilized the cherry blossoms in the title and photo, in order to represent the life of a woman. It highlights how women are seen as fragile beings; its up to individuals to recognise this,as life is short it's important for people to recognise the gender roles imposed by society’s ideologies. In all the photos that I have analysed, each subject is looking directly away from the camera, creating ambiguity and rising tension, as the viewer is uncertain what the subject is looking at. This subject could either be looking into the future for hope of their being changed in society, or the subject could be detaching themselves from creating a connection with the viewer. In my final piece, I wanted the subject to be looking directly into the camera, as I wanted to make a connection between the subject and the viewer, making the photo more personal to the viewer. I done this because I wanted the viewer to feel slightly uncomfortable, in order to make the viewer feel as though the issues in society are linked to everyone in everyday life.  Initially, I experimented with using a digital camera, as I wanted to see if bold colours would enhance my concept, like Miles Aldridge. I used a dark burgundy red as the background to the staged photo and used the colours of yellow and white to contrast with the red background. I was pleased with the outcome, however, I wanted to capture a more surreal and melancholy atmosphere . With the other experiments I had taken, I wanted to try cyanotype photos in order to create a more traditional aspect, like Maruyama. For my final piece i developed 12 cyanotype photos; i am really pleased with the outcome, as i believe that the blue tint enhances the concept of surrealism. I am especially pleased with the photo with the subject’s eyes closed, as it makes her appear as though she is in a dreamlike state. The blue colour makes the photos appear serene and calming; the colour blue is usually associated with dreams and calming rivers. 

To conclude, I believe that my final piece effectively portrays my concept; the photos may appear calm and peaceful due to the blue tones but the subjects are actually suffocating from the demeaning roles that are imposed by society.  

Bibliography

http://enterhyperreality.weebly.com/jean-baudrillard.html

http://www.stevenkasher.com/artists/miles-aldridge?view=slider#18

https://www.lumas.com/artist/miles_aldridge/

http://www.artnet.com/artists/miles-aldridge/

http://www.sayakamaruyama.com/page/BEAUTY/SAKURA.html

https://mymodernmet.com/sayaka-maruyama-sakura/

https://www.all-about-photo.com/photographers/photographer/108/sayaka-maruyama

http://www.sayakamaruyama.com/page/PRINTSONFARBRIC.html

https://notwithoutmypassport.com/cherry-blossom-meaning-in-japan/

Bate, David: Art photography, Tate Publishing 2015