Student Surrealist Art Exhibit 2019: Pinellas County

Exhibition Website

Jan 12 2019 - Mar 3 2019

Salvador Dali Museum

St. Petersburg, FL

Initiated in 1985, this annual art exhibit presents work by middle and high school students who are invited to explore ideas and visions similar to those explored by Dali and the surrealists.

The Marvelous, the Fantastic, the Grotesque: phrases used to describe the full scope of surrealist art. The Surrealists aimed to disrupt the norm of the early 20th century Parisian art scene, finding traditional landscapes, portraits and still-life compositions stale, representing an incomplete world. The group wanted to create a new standard of beauty, one that challenged reality, calling it “convulsive beauty” or “the Marvelous.” The Surrealists produced art within the genres of the Fantastic and the Grotesque in order to represent this new, intense, and unreal beauty.

The Fantastic is a genre of art that creates a moment of doubt or confusion when one is unsure of what they’re seeing. (Fantasy art, on the other hand, is a different genre associated with the lyrical illustrations and fairy tales). The Fantastic is uncanny; something is off, but you can’t seem to put your finger on it. Is it real or imaginary? The Fantastic is otherworldly and inexplicable, causing an unsettled feeling.

The Grotesque is a genre of art representing the opposite of classical beauty and the rejection of established boundaries. While the Grotesque includes the ugly and disgusting, it is actually broader and does not have to be either of those things. It is the irrational, the chaotic and the extreme. It is an image or composition that uses strategies like dislocation, deformation, transformation, and even uncomfortable humor while evoking an uneasiness and unpleasant states.

The Marvelous, the Fantastic, and the Grotesque are complex, overlapping categories, allowing for broad interpretation. With these categories in mind, we challenge you to confront the limits of reality, explore the uncanny, and use surrealist techniques such as dislocation, transformation, and juxtaposition to produce your interpretation of the Marvelous, the Fantastic, or the Grotesque.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

  • Various Media
  • American
  • Student artwork

Exhibition Venues & Dates