Desmond Morris

A concise compendium of the lives and work of the 101 most significant Surrealists by one of the last surviving members of the movement, bestselling author and artist Desmond Morris, who knew several of the key participants personally. 2024 marks the centenary of Surrealism, one of the most influential artistic movements of the modern era. In 1924, André Breton wrote the Surrealist Manifesto, a call to arms which established Surrealism as a literary and artistic movement. Rather than attempting to analyse the work of the Surrealists, bestselling author and Surrealist artist Desmond Morris focuses on them as remarkable individuals. What were their personalities, their predilections, their character strengths and flaws? Did they enjoy a social life or were they loners? Were they bold eccentrics or timid recluses? Featuring 101 artists, from the famous – Duchamp, Dali, Magritte, Miro, Carrington, Kahlo, Picabia, Ernst and others – to the neglected – Mesens, Rimmington, Sage, Fini, Bellmer, Colquhoun and Gonzalez – this book draws on the author’s personal knowledge of the Surrealists, capturing in concise form their life histories, idiosyncrasies and often-complex love lives. Surrealism was both spectacular and international, shaped by the darkest, most irrational workings of the unconscious. Shocking, witty and always entertaining, Morris's potted summaries and punchy anecdotes illuminate striking variations in artistic approach to the Surrealist philosophy, both in the artists’ works and lives. A complement to Morris's earlier biographical volumes, 101 Surrealists encapsulates each artist in new and abridged texts that convey with immediacy the impact and significance of each of the 101 artists featured.

The lives, loves and works of key British Surrealists revealed by one of the last surviving members of this movement, bestselling author and artist Desmond Morris. Feted for their idiosyncratic and imaginative works, the surrealists marked a pivotal moment in the history of modern art in Britain. Many banded together to form the British Surrealist Group, while others carved their own, independent paths. Here, bestselling author and surrealist artist Desmond Morris - one of the last surviving members of this important art movement - draws on his personal memories and experiences to present the intriguing life stories and complex love lives of this wild and curious set of artists. From the unpredictability of Francis Bacon to the rebelliousness of Leonora Carrington, from the beguiling Eileen Agar to the 'brilliant' Ceri Richards, Morris brings his subjects' foibles and frailties to the fore. His vivid account is laced with his inimitable wit, and profusely illustrated by images of the artists and their artworks. Featuring thirty-four surrealists - some famous, some forgotten - Morris's intimate book takes us back in time to a generation that allowed its creative unconscious to drive their passions in both art and life. With 105 illustrations

Sovy nejsou takové, jaké se zdají. Proplétají se lidskou kulturou, od starodávného Babylonu přes Sovu a kočku Edwarda Leara, nabubřelou roztržitou Sovu z Medvídka Pú až po Hedviku z Harryho Pottera. Povahu těchto nádherných, tichých a nemilosrdných predátorů vnímáme jako protiklad mezi dobrem a zlem. Jsou to enigmatická stvoření, jejichž přítomnost stěží zaznamenáme. Desmond Morris v této fascinující knize objevuje přírodní a kulturní dějiny sov z celého světa, neboť s výjimkou Antarktidy se tito ptáci nachází na všech kontinentech. Popisuje, jak se sovy vyvinuly do mnoha druhů, od drobného 14 centimetrového kulíška trpasličího až po výra velkého, který měří více než 70 centimetrů. Právě proto, že jsou celosvětově hojně rozšířené, objevují se v pověstech, mýtech a legendách mnoha původních a domorodých obyvatel. Morris tyto příběhy vysvětluje a interpretuje, ale také se zabývá příklady sov v umění, f ilmu a v literatuře. Autor ve svém poutavém vyprávění dokazuje, že sovy jsou v naší kultuře stále přítomny. Desmond Morris je uznávaný autor a moderátor žijící v Oxfordu, jehož dílo zahrnuje tituly: Nahá opice, Lidská zoo a Lidský živočich. Kniha obsahuje 123 obrázků, z nichž 91 je barevných.

No other art movement in history has contained two artists as different as Magritte and Miro. This is because Surrealism was not in origin an art movement, but a philosophical strategy. It was a way of life - a rebellion against the establishment that had given the world the hideous slaughter of the First World War. Instead of trying to analyse the work of the Surrealists, bestselling author and Surrealist artist Desmond Morris concentrates on them as people - as remarkable individuals. What were their personalities, their predilections, their character strengths and flaws? Did they enjoy a social life or were they loners? Were they bold eccentrics or timid recluses? Drawing on the author's personal knowledge of the Surrealists, this book captures their life histories, idiosyncrasies and often-complex love lives, vividly illustrated with images of the artists and their works. The arts of Surrealism were both spectacular and international, shaped by the darkest, most irrational workings of the unconscious. Shocking, witty and always entertaining, Morris's tales illuminate the striking variation in approaches to the Surrealist philosophy, both in the artists' work and in their lives. With 72 illustrations

Examining the body language displayed in works of art is a whole new way of looking at art. The gestures portrayed can reflect the mores of a particular period in history, the customs of a certain culture or a fashion in artistic styles. Exploring these with masterful subtlety, celebrated artist and anthropologist Desmond Morris uncovers fascinating insights about changing social attitudes and conventions through history and around the world, finding surprising similarities as well as now rarely used gestures. Morris selects a number of key gestures, such as the handshake, the pointed foot, or the glove-slap, and groups them by the message they are intended to convey, such as Greetings, Status and Threats. He discusses the previously unconsidered symbolism behind these. What is understood as a gang sign today may have borne a more enigmatic meaning for Botticelli. And what did Napoleon's hidden hand really mean? Postures: Body Language in Art uniquely combines the author's expertise in both art and social science, so that even the most familiar paintings are suddenly seen in a new light.

Lidská zoo proslulého britského zoologa a etologa Desmonda Morrise (poprvé vyšla v roce 1969) navazuje na jeho předchozí kontroverzní bestseller Nahá opice (1967). Příběh moderního člověka je v Morrisově pojetí příběhem lidské snahy vyrovnat se s následky komplikovaného pokroku. V Lidské zoo ho pak především zajímá povaha civilizované společnosti ve velkých městech, všímá si jednání jejich obyvatel, které přirovnává ke zvířatům drženým v zajetí zoologické zahrady. Člověk tak uzavřel sám sebe do obřího neklidného zvěřince, kde se nachází pod neustálým enormním tlakem. A Morris ve své knize zkoumá, jak tyto náročné podmínky působí na lidskou agresi a frustraci, jak ovlivňují sexuální chování, rodičovské postoje i společenskou hierarchii.

No other art movement in history has contained two artists as different as Magritte and Miro. This is because Surrealism was not in origin an art movement, but a philosophical strategy. It was a way of life - a rebellion against the establishment that had given the world the hideous slaughter of the First World War. Instead of trying to analyse the work of the Surrealists, bestselling author and Surrealist artist Desmond Morris concentrates on them as people - as remarkable individuals. What were their personalities, their predilections, their character strengths and flaws? Did they enjoy a social life or were they loners? Were they bold eccentrics or timid recluses? Drawing on the author's personal knowledge of the Surrealists, this book captures their life histories, idiosyncrasies and often-complex love lives, vividly illustrated with images of the artists and their works. The arts of Surrealism were both spectacular and international, shaped by the darkest, most irrational workings of the unconscious. Shocking, witty and always entertaining, Morris' tales illuminate the striking variation in approaches to the Surrealist philosophy, both in the artist's work and in their lives.

Desmond Morris, autor bestsellerů a sám surrealistický umělec, se namísto snahy analyzovat práci surrealistů soustředí na tyto umělce jako na osobnosti a pozoruhodné jednotlivce. Jaké měli charakterové přednosti či naopak slabosti? Užívali si společenského života, nebo to byli osamělí vlci? Šlo o drzé excentriky, či zakřiknuté poustevníky? Byli samouky, nebo byli formálně vzdělaní? Na základě autorových osobních znalostí o surrealistických umělcích zachycuje tato kniha jejich životní osudy, výstřednosti a často komplikovaný milostný život, bohatě doprovázena 72 fotografiemi umělců a jejich děl. Šokující, poučné a vždy zábavné, Morrisovy příběhy osvětlují různorodost přístupů k surrealistické filozofii, a to jak v uměleckých dílech, tak v lidských životech. Obálka: ručně malované písmo od autora a umělce Desmonda Morrise, včetně písmen pro české vydání