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Part of: Writing in the Surreal World (59 resources )
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Writing in the Surreal World
If you are unable to come to UMMA in person due to illness, quarantine, etc., you can choose a work from this set of surrealist and surrealist-adjacent pieces from the UMMA collection. 

Copyright
All Rights Reserved
Created by
Scott W Beal
Last Updated
September 24, 2022 12:20 p.m.

59 Items in this Learning Collection
At the Crossroads (En Rade)
Three birds, executed with spare line and simple form, are set within an abstracted landscape of bright yellows and oranges.
Collection Object
Correspondances dangereuses
At the center of the etching are three or four amorphous figures in white and two shades of black, made in crosshatching. The figures are entwined and have animal and bird-like features. The background is crosshatched to the edges of the page. The print is signed (l.r.) "Max Ernst" and numbered (l.l.) "57/70" in pencil.
Collection Object
Solomon 1:16: 'Our bed is green...', from the suite 'Solomon: Song of Songs'

Collection Object
Creation of a Woman, II

Collection Object
Bugeleisen (Iron)

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
Now the Dove and the Leopard Wrestle
At the center of the painting, two animals meet: a horse and a bull. Painted in a variety of colors, the two animals are abstracted in a Cubist style. The painting is signed (u.r.) in black paint "Bearden". 
Collection Object
Lenox Avenue
This is an abstract face of a figure looking to the right. The head is divided into compartments of varying textures by several straight lines. There are piano keys are on the left side of the head, and a cigarette at top left. 
Collection Object
People

Collection Object
The Riddle, Plate 4 from 'The Myth of Oedipus'

Collection Object
Espace-temps en fusion
Winding through the center of this print, a melting clock oozes from the top right to the bottom center in red, yellow and blue. To the left of the base of the clock is a bright orange and red bolder. In the background, there is a large landscape with mountains and a cloudy sky. There are three figures in the scene. At the bottom right, a figure is seated with a staff and behind it is a large shape in yellow, red and blue. At the center, there is a sketch of a mounted figure on a rearing horse; and at the upper right, there is a figure with a strong shadow. The print is signed (l.r.) and numbered (l.l.) in pencil. 
Collection Object
Télévision liquide et gazeuse
In this mixed-media print, there is a white background with black outlines of facial features, lips and an eye, and a creature in the bottom left. In the upper left corner there is a rectanglular sheet in cream layered on top; a wavy vertical design stretches diagonally from the top of the rectangle to the bottom in yellow, red, and blue. Within this sheet, there are small figures at the center left drawn in black. To the right in the sheet, there is a collaged image of one of the artist's paintings, incorporated into a cube. Above, there are drawn birds. There is a small mechanical-like figure on the sheet at the bottom left. At the center of the print, in the cream page, the artist signed "Dali" and dated the print "1975. To the bottom left, on the larger white page, there is text inscribed in the plate, mirrored and someone illegible, that possibly reads "Leill Ciclopeer Alucire la bouche Almient tire / Lula [illegible]." The print is number at the lower left in pencil.
Collection Object
Underworld
This hand colored lithograph shows a chaotic scene with three, masked figures at the lower left surrounded by a variety of sea creatures: squids, octopusus, sharks and turtles. 
Collection Object
The Underworld
This print shows a chaotic scene with a white skeleton in the center. In the upper left, there are a series of sea creatures, including a grey colored shark, pink colored squids and two octopuses in shades of orange. At the bottom of the print, the skeleton is surrounded by a large lizard, skulls, and other figures. A moon and stars are in the upper left corner. The print is signed (l.r.) "Underground Ann McCoy" and numbered "18/100" in red pencil.
Collection Object
South Polar Quadrille

Collection Object
Quetzal
This color lithograph has a bright yellow background with figures in red and white at the center. Horizontally oriented at the center is a large white semi-geometric creature with three heads—one at the bottom and two at the flanks—that is capped with horns and breasts. There is a red box-like figure in the background that has a horned head and a series of horns, wings, and flames emanating from it. The print is numbered, titled and signed (l.r.) in pencil: "no 57 - "Quetzal" / Wilfredo Lam".
Collection Object
Sensations
Brightly-colored image of abstract shapes in hues of blue and red with white shapes giving the pieces a shining appearance.
Collection Object
The Archeologists IV (Gli Archeologi IV); Plate VI from the suite "Metamorphosis" (Metamorphosis is underlined)

Collection Object
Rhabdomancie
At the center of the print is a series of abstract bone-like shapes put together to resemble a creature or creatures. The background is colored, top to bottom, in blue, yellow, and green. The print is signed and dated (l.r.) "Yves Tanguy 1947" and numbered (l.l.) "57/70" in pencil.
Collection Object
I Want To See It To Believe It
This vertical print is bisected by four horizontal light blue squares approximately one third of the way up from the bottom. The second square from the left is joined by a square above and below so that all the liight blue squares create a horizontally oriented cross. Both inside and outside the cross-grid there are seven tan figures, who seem to be engaged in a variety of activities. There are a number of designs that move out from the cross, some related to what is pictured inside and some not. The print is signed and dated (l.l.) "Matta 47" and numbered (l.r.) "57/70" in pencil.
Collection Object
The Skyline (La Ligne d'horizon)

Collection Object
Bestiaire. IV. Le Sang et la Race

Collection Object
Bounded on the West by the Land Under Water
Four spare industrial structures rise at different angles into an empty landscape. On the viewer's right, a scaffolding rises from the lower corner and angles to the left. On the left, another scaffold structure runs from the bottom corner along the left edge. In the middle, a building-like structure rises from the bottom of the composition and leans into the visual space, resting on a long rectangular solid that is draped with a cloth.
Collection Object
The Terror Stopper (Le Bouchon d'Epouvante), Plate VI from the series "Dawn at the Antipode (Aube à l'Antipode)

Collection Object
Castronautes
In this print, there is a figure that is formed in the upper right with thick black lines. It floats above abstract circular line designs. There is a blue and purple background, with areas of light behind the figure, darker areas below the figure. The print is signed (l.r.) and numbered (l.l.) "5/100" in pencil.
Collection Object
Turning Form

Collection Object
Little Girl with Cherries (Expectation)
A girl at a table covered in fruit with a beach scene in the background
Collection Object
Birds at Home
A color photograph of a group of children and a cat at a table. Each child engages with something in the room, which is in an organized disarray. Egg shells fall from the table to the floor, toys are strewn about, and an infant and cat sit in the middle of the table.
Collection Object
Last Supper
A photograph of eight boys, all of which are the same person, voraciously eating a loaf of white bread off a rock in a forest.
Collection Object
Allume tes gitanes
This black and white print shows the images of two pistols pointed at each other. Two large black abstract forms with vertical stripes sit underneath and above the two guns. At the lower right, there is a rectanglular box with the text "ALLUME TES / GITANES" and artist's signature "Man Ray", alongside an image comprised of half a glass bottle and abstract shapes and marks. The print is signed (l.r.) "Man Ray" and numbered (l.l.) "8/41" in pencil.
Collection Object
Calling Radio Free America
This photolithographic print in shades of blue and rusty red is separated into three main registers. There are three television screens at the top, each with a different image: from left to right, a woman putting on her earrings as a man looks on, an American football game, and an image of a man in a suit from the chest up with the text Dr. Walter W. Heller. Below these images, there is a register with a grid of squares within squares with two large rectangular boundries; at the far right, two larger squares are stacked vertically. The bottom register of images shows a contemporary domestic kitchen, the colors of which are transected in two places, and, in the foreground, an oversized image of a female hand holding a sandwich and a fork with salad attached.
Collection Object
Martha Graham—Lamentation
A composite print from two negatives, each representing a moment from a dance performance. The woman wears a large cloth, which she manipulates with her motions to create forms and shapes.
Collection Object
Woman of the Woods
A photograph of two women standing outdoors. They stand next to a puddle of water, one left of center, one on the right side of the frame. Rows of trees extend into the background behind them.
Collection Object
Self-Portrait in Time

Collection Object
Equisetum Sylvaticum
This cyanotype photograph displays the silhouettes of six plant stems laid out in a row.
Collection Object
Self-Portrait: Vertical Motion Up, Medium; Pivotal Motion Large
This photograph is a blurred and distorted portrait of a figure standing against a blank wall.
Collection Object
Party Picture
The image depicts figures beneath three disco balls in three different horizontal compartments; one red, another yellow, and the third blue. 
Collection Object
Untitled
A black and white photograph of droplets of water captured in suspension. Behind the water droplets, an eye is visible, though it is blurred by a shallow depth of field. In the water droplets, the eye is reflected upside down and in sharp focus.
Collection Object
Untitled (Medusa Marinara)
A photograph of a female head made of pasta and marinara sauce printed on a porcelain plate. On verso, the plate is numbered "39;" it is labeled part of "The Peter Norton Family Christmas Project" and dated 1999; the manufacturer is labeled "Made in Bernardaud in Limoges, France;" and, below, it reads "Lead Free Dishwasher Safe."
Collection Object
Three Eyes
Square-format photograph of three small sculptures with eyes printed on them organized in a stack, alongside a pair of spectacles.
Collection Object
androgyforms (made from self & white t-shirt)
This work is a series of thirteen photographs of a person in a closet.  The figure is dressed in a white t-shirt and makes various poses pulling the t-shirt over their body in different ways. Of the thirteen, one photograph is just the white t-shirt hanging in the closet and one is a photograph of the t-shirt on the floor; in both of these images the figure is absent.
Collection Object
In the Box - Horizontal
This monochrome photograph of a nude woman shows her reclining, knees bent; her figure framed by a large box. 
Collection Object
Unititled

Collection Object
Allegorical Composition
This abstract composition shows a fantastical, surreal structure comprised of angular shapes in many colors. A shadow is cast on the brown surface upon which the structure stands. 
Collection Object
The Student (L'Etudiante)
On a narrow, vertically oriented canvas, white surreal biomorphic forms float over a background of larger biomorphic forms in dark blues and black with some red splashes. 
Collection Object
The Elements: Leaf transformed into a torso
Yellow form centered on a white background; the form is in the shape of a leaf.
Collection Object
Wives Waiting at a Mine Rescue

Collection Object
Machines and El Patterns
;;
Collection Object
Male Venus

Collection Object
Illuminated Landscape
Nocturnal scene with landscape populated by otherworldly pink, green, and blue flora and fauna resembling marine life or celestial bodies.
Collection Object
Cradles in the Sea

Collection Object
What We All Lack (Ce qui manque à nous tous)
A clear glass bubble rests on the bowl of a plain white clay pipe. Along the stem of the pipe are the words, "Ce que [sic] manque à nous tous."
Collection Object
Figure with Spiders
At the center of this work, there is a red, yellow, and blue figure with a gold hoop earring in the right ear. Eight black spiders dangle from lines on each side of figure and a snake-like createure is at the top. The whole watercolor has a rusty-orange backdrop.
Collection Object
Warriors

Collection Object
Ah Puch
Bust of a figure from the chest up in three-quarters pose. The head, or perhaps a mask, is white, resembling a skull with a halo of white hair. The neck is dark brown with two white bands like chokers around it, perhaps securing the mask. The figure wears a dark red garment that is trimmed in ornate lace in white and gold. The background is a deep teal green-blue.
Collection Object
Liberty Renewed

Collection Object
If you are unable to come to UMMA in person due to illness, quarantine, etc., you can choose a work from this set of surrealist and surrealist-adjacent pieces from the UMMA collection. 
59 Items in this Learning Collection
At the Crossroads (En Rade)
Three birds, executed with spare line and simple form, are set within an abstracted landscape of bright yellows and oranges.
Collection Object
Correspondances dangereuses
At the center of the etching are three or four amorphous figures in white and two shades of black, made in crosshatching. The figures are entwined and have animal and bird-like features. The background is crosshatched to the edges of the page. The print is signed (l.r.) "Max Ernst" and numbered (l.l.) "57/70" in pencil.
Collection Object
Solomon 1:16: 'Our bed is green...', from the suite 'Solomon: Song of Songs'

Collection Object
Creation of a Woman, II

Collection Object
Bugeleisen (Iron)

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
One of five prints from the suite "The Means to an End--A Shadow Drama in Five Acts"

Collection Object
Now the Dove and the Leopard Wrestle
At the center of the painting, two animals meet: a horse and a bull. Painted in a variety of colors, the two animals are abstracted in a Cubist style. The painting is signed (u.r.) in black paint "Bearden". 
Collection Object
Lenox Avenue
This is an abstract face of a figure looking to the right. The head is divided into compartments of varying textures by several straight lines. There are piano keys are on the left side of the head, and a cigarette at top left. 
Collection Object
People

Collection Object
The Riddle, Plate 4 from 'The Myth of Oedipus'

Collection Object
Espace-temps en fusion
Winding through the center of this print, a melting clock oozes from the top right to the bottom center in red, yellow and blue. To the left of the base of the clock is a bright orange and red bolder. In the background, there is a large landscape with mountains and a cloudy sky. There are three figures in the scene. At the bottom right, a figure is seated with a staff and behind it is a large shape in yellow, red and blue. At the center, there is a sketch of a mounted figure on a rearing horse; and at the upper right, there is a figure with a strong shadow. The print is signed (l.r.) and numbered (l.l.) in pencil. 
Collection Object
Télévision liquide et gazeuse
In this mixed-media print, there is a white background with black outlines of facial features, lips and an eye, and a creature in the bottom left. In the upper left corner there is a rectanglular sheet in cream layered on top; a wavy vertical design stretches diagonally from the top of the rectangle to the bottom in yellow, red, and blue. Within this sheet, there are small figures at the center left drawn in black. To the right in the sheet, there is a collaged image of one of the artist's paintings, incorporated into a cube. Above, there are drawn birds. There is a small mechanical-like figure on the sheet at the bottom left. At the center of the print, in the cream page, the artist signed "Dali" and dated the print "1975. To the bottom left, on the larger white page, there is text inscribed in the plate, mirrored and someone illegible, that possibly reads "Leill Ciclopeer Alucire la bouche Almient tire / Lula [illegible]." The print is number at the lower left in pencil.
Collection Object
Underworld
This hand colored lithograph shows a chaotic scene with three, masked figures at the lower left surrounded by a variety of sea creatures: squids, octopusus, sharks and turtles. 
Collection Object
The Underworld
This print shows a chaotic scene with a white skeleton in the center. In the upper left, there are a series of sea creatures, including a grey colored shark, pink colored squids and two octopuses in shades of orange. At the bottom of the print, the skeleton is surrounded by a large lizard, skulls, and other figures. A moon and stars are in the upper left corner. The print is signed (l.r.) "Underground Ann McCoy" and numbered "18/100" in red pencil.
Collection Object
South Polar Quadrille

Collection Object
Quetzal
This color lithograph has a bright yellow background with figures in red and white at the center. Horizontally oriented at the center is a large white semi-geometric creature with three heads—one at the bottom and two at the flanks—that is capped with horns and breasts. There is a red box-like figure in the background that has a horned head and a series of horns, wings, and flames emanating from it. The print is numbered, titled and signed (l.r.) in pencil: "no 57 - "Quetzal" / Wilfredo Lam".
Collection Object
Sensations
Brightly-colored image of abstract shapes in hues of blue and red with white shapes giving the pieces a shining appearance.
Collection Object
The Archeologists IV (Gli Archeologi IV); Plate VI from the suite "Metamorphosis" (Metamorphosis is underlined)

Collection Object
Rhabdomancie
At the center of the print is a series of abstract bone-like shapes put together to resemble a creature or creatures. The background is colored, top to bottom, in blue, yellow, and green. The print is signed and dated (l.r.) "Yves Tanguy 1947" and numbered (l.l.) "57/70" in pencil.
Collection Object
I Want To See It To Believe It
This vertical print is bisected by four horizontal light blue squares approximately one third of the way up from the bottom. The second square from the left is joined by a square above and below so that all the liight blue squares create a horizontally oriented cross. Both inside and outside the cross-grid there are seven tan figures, who seem to be engaged in a variety of activities. There are a number of designs that move out from the cross, some related to what is pictured inside and some not. The print is signed and dated (l.l.) "Matta 47" and numbered (l.r.) "57/70" in pencil.
Collection Object
The Skyline (La Ligne d'horizon)

Collection Object
Bestiaire. IV. Le Sang et la Race

Collection Object
Bounded on the West by the Land Under Water
Four spare industrial structures rise at different angles into an empty landscape. On the viewer's right, a scaffolding rises from the lower corner and angles to the left. On the left, another scaffold structure runs from the bottom corner along the left edge. In the middle, a building-like structure rises from the bottom of the composition and leans into the visual space, resting on a long rectangular solid that is draped with a cloth.
Collection Object
The Terror Stopper (Le Bouchon d'Epouvante), Plate VI from the series "Dawn at the Antipode (Aube à l'Antipode)

Collection Object
Castronautes
In this print, there is a figure that is formed in the upper right with thick black lines. It floats above abstract circular line designs. There is a blue and purple background, with areas of light behind the figure, darker areas below the figure. The print is signed (l.r.) and numbered (l.l.) "5/100" in pencil.
Collection Object
Turning Form

Collection Object
Little Girl with Cherries (Expectation)
A girl at a table covered in fruit with a beach scene in the background
Collection Object
Birds at Home
A color photograph of a group of children and a cat at a table. Each child engages with something in the room, which is in an organized disarray. Egg shells fall from the table to the floor, toys are strewn about, and an infant and cat sit in the middle of the table.
Collection Object
Last Supper
A photograph of eight boys, all of which are the same person, voraciously eating a loaf of white bread off a rock in a forest.
Collection Object
Allume tes gitanes
This black and white print shows the images of two pistols pointed at each other. Two large black abstract forms with vertical stripes sit underneath and above the two guns. At the lower right, there is a rectanglular box with the text "ALLUME TES / GITANES" and artist's signature "Man Ray", alongside an image comprised of half a glass bottle and abstract shapes and marks. The print is signed (l.r.) "Man Ray" and numbered (l.l.) "8/41" in pencil.
Collection Object
Calling Radio Free America
This photolithographic print in shades of blue and rusty red is separated into three main registers. There are three television screens at the top, each with a different image: from left to right, a woman putting on her earrings as a man looks on, an American football game, and an image of a man in a suit from the chest up with the text Dr. Walter W. Heller. Below these images, there is a register with a grid of squares within squares with two large rectangular boundries; at the far right, two larger squares are stacked vertically. The bottom register of images shows a contemporary domestic kitchen, the colors of which are transected in two places, and, in the foreground, an oversized image of a female hand holding a sandwich and a fork with salad attached.
Collection Object
Martha Graham—Lamentation
A composite print from two negatives, each representing a moment from a dance performance. The woman wears a large cloth, which she manipulates with her motions to create forms and shapes.
Collection Object
Woman of the Woods
A photograph of two women standing outdoors. They stand next to a puddle of water, one left of center, one on the right side of the frame. Rows of trees extend into the background behind them.
Collection Object
Self-Portrait in Time

Collection Object
Equisetum Sylvaticum
This cyanotype photograph displays the silhouettes of six plant stems laid out in a row.
Collection Object
Self-Portrait: Vertical Motion Up, Medium; Pivotal Motion Large
This photograph is a blurred and distorted portrait of a figure standing against a blank wall.
Collection Object
Party Picture
The image depicts figures beneath three disco balls in three different horizontal compartments; one red, another yellow, and the third blue. 
Collection Object
Untitled
A black and white photograph of droplets of water captured in suspension. Behind the water droplets, an eye is visible, though it is blurred by a shallow depth of field. In the water droplets, the eye is reflected upside down and in sharp focus.
Collection Object
Untitled (Medusa Marinara)
A photograph of a female head made of pasta and marinara sauce printed on a porcelain plate. On verso, the plate is numbered "39;" it is labeled part of "The Peter Norton Family Christmas Project" and dated 1999; the manufacturer is labeled "Made in Bernardaud in Limoges, France;" and, below, it reads "Lead Free Dishwasher Safe."
Collection Object
Three Eyes
Square-format photograph of three small sculptures with eyes printed on them organized in a stack, alongside a pair of spectacles.
Collection Object
androgyforms (made from self & white t-shirt)
This work is a series of thirteen photographs of a person in a closet.  The figure is dressed in a white t-shirt and makes various poses pulling the t-shirt over their body in different ways. Of the thirteen, one photograph is just the white t-shirt hanging in the closet and one is a photograph of the t-shirt on the floor; in both of these images the figure is absent.
Collection Object
In the Box - Horizontal
This monochrome photograph of a nude woman shows her reclining, knees bent; her figure framed by a large box. 
Collection Object
Unititled

Collection Object
Allegorical Composition
This abstract composition shows a fantastical, surreal structure comprised of angular shapes in many colors. A shadow is cast on the brown surface upon which the structure stands. 
Collection Object
The Student (L'Etudiante)
On a narrow, vertically oriented canvas, white surreal biomorphic forms float over a background of larger biomorphic forms in dark blues and black with some red splashes. 
Collection Object
The Elements: Leaf transformed into a torso
Yellow form centered on a white background; the form is in the shape of a leaf.
Collection Object
Wives Waiting at a Mine Rescue

Collection Object
Machines and El Patterns
;;
Collection Object
Male Venus

Collection Object
Illuminated Landscape
Nocturnal scene with landscape populated by otherworldly pink, green, and blue flora and fauna resembling marine life or celestial bodies.
Collection Object
Cradles in the Sea

Collection Object
What We All Lack (Ce qui manque à nous tous)
A clear glass bubble rests on the bowl of a plain white clay pipe. Along the stem of the pipe are the words, "Ce que [sic] manque à nous tous."
Collection Object
Figure with Spiders
At the center of this work, there is a red, yellow, and blue figure with a gold hoop earring in the right ear. Eight black spiders dangle from lines on each side of figure and a snake-like createure is at the top. The whole watercolor has a rusty-orange backdrop.
Collection Object
Warriors

Collection Object
Ah Puch
Bust of a figure from the chest up in three-quarters pose. The head, or perhaps a mask, is white, resembling a skull with a halo of white hair. The neck is dark brown with two white bands like chokers around it, perhaps securing the mask. The figure wears a dark red garment that is trimmed in ornate lace in white and gold. The background is a deep teal green-blue.
Collection Object
Liberty Renewed

Collection Object

Copyright
All Rights Reserved ()

In the Box - Horizontal

Accession Number
2007/2.20

Title
In the Box - Horizontal

Artist(s)
Ruth Bernhard

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1962; printed 1992

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
17 15/16 in x 24 in (45.56 cm x 60.96 cm);17 15/16 in x 24 in (45.56 cm x 60.96 cm);13 in x 23 1/16 in (33.02 cm x 58.58 cm)

Credit Line
Gift from the Estate of Ruth Bernhard

Label copy
Recent Acquisitions: Curators Choice Part I, November 12, 2011-March 18, 2012
Ruth Bernhard
United States, 1905–2006
In the Box – Horizontal
1992
Gelatin silver print
Gift from the Estate of Ruth Bernard, 2007/2.20

Subject matter
This photograph was taken on the same day that Ruth Bernhard received a new Omega D-2 photographic enlarger. When the model arrived, Bernhard decided to photograph her inside the large enlarger box. The model reclines, her knees bent to fit inside the box. Her arm extends beyond the top of the container, wrapping around its edge. 

Physical Description
This monochrome photograph of a nude woman shows her reclining, knees bent; her figure framed by a large box. 

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
boxes (containers)
full-length figures
nudes (representations)
reclining
women (female humans)

16 Related Resources

& Author Notes

All Rights Reserved