Surrealism At Its Best

So, I was just browsing Youtube today, looking for something of interest to make a post about, when I stumbled upon a goldmine of videos. Specifically, the work of Jan Švankmajer, the Czech surrealist artist, which ranges from works of clay, to food, to rocks, to ordinary every-day items. I was stunned by the amazing videos. His attention to detail, expertise in animation, and ability to portray an emotional message is truly astounding. Now, folks, THIS is art. Some contains nudity, sexual suggestions, and other, darker themes, but all of it is genius, and all leaves one thinking, even if it is with a shudder down one's spine as the dark nature of his animations really seeps in.

Here is a compendium of those videos which I could find on Youtube. The final one, a "trailer" for Alice, Švankmajer's re-interpretation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson and the first of a series of surreal movies, also including Faust, Conspirators of Pleasure, Otesánek, and Šílení/Lunacy. I would highly recommend all these movies, and I know that I will personally be looking into purchasing all five, if I can find them. Like the Youtube videos, his movies often contain adult content, so be warned.



These videos are sorted from oldest, to newest, based on when he created them.

Johann Sebastian Bach: Fantasy in G minor
A Game With Stones
Punch and Judy
Don Juan (pt 1)
Don Juan (pt 2)
Don Juan (pt 3)
Don Juan (pt 4)
Et Cetera
The Garden (pt 1)
The Garden (pt 2)
The Flat (pt 1)
The Flat (pt 2)
The Ossuary
Jabberwocky (pt 1)
Jabberwocky (pt 2)
Leondardo's Diary (pt 1)
Leonardo's Diary (pt 2)
The Castle of Otranto (pt 1)
The Castle of Otranto (pt 2)
The Fall of the House of Usher (pt 1)
The Fall of the House of Usher (pt 2)
Dimensions of Dialogue (pt 1)
Dimensions of Dialogue (pt 2)
The Pendulum, the Pit, and Hope (pt 1)
The Pendulum, the Pit, and Hope (pt 2)
Another Kind of Love
Meat Love
Darkness/Light/Darkness
Flora
The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner