Some of the paintings in the French post war scene also showed features of Magical Realism. Some of Salvador Dali's earlier works also fall into this category. Other Surrealist artists such as Pierre Roy and Moise Kisling created work that is distinctly Magical Realism. Balthus's paintings 'The Street' (1935), and 'The Mountain' (1938) are outstanding pieces of Magical Realism.
The advancement of Surrealism in a lot of ways, resembled the story of Magical Realism. In the late 1920's, Paris was the main focal point for the Surrealist movement. A lot of German artists engaged in Dada, which was right at the centre of the Surrealist movement. It may well be because of the similarities, that art critics never characterised Magical Realism as a
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He became an expert in the use of the techniques of dry brush and egg tempera, allowing him to create highly detailed works. He also uses unusual points of view, and keeps an air of mystery about his work. There are also feelings of isolation and nostalgia to his work.
Christina's World (1948) - Andrew Wyeth
Christina's World was painted in 1948. It is one of the most well known painting's from the mid 20th century.
At first glance I thought the girl in the painting was a child, but after some research I learned that the female figure was that of Wyeth's 55 year old neighbour Anna Christina Olsen, who was suffering from polio, which had paralysed her from the waist down. Apparently Wyeth had seen her dragging herself through the field from his window. Now the painting makes more sense. When you study the figure more closely, you can see how frail she actually is. Her arms are little more than skin and bone, and from the strange position she is in, it is easy to believe that she is in fact paralysed.
Christina's World did not get much notice when it was first exhibited. But after it was bought and displayed by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, it began to slowly increase in popularity. Now it is thought to be one of the main icons of American