Hello, Dali!

William Wegman's depictions of surreal animals, as well as the dreamscape art of Salvador Dali are similar effects I wish to achieve with my project. They both use powerful animal imagery to make the viewer think, "what if?" They make you think while still maintaining a level of silliness to them that I find very endeering.

Wegman's photography showcased his Weimaraners (dogs) paired often with the bodies and clothes of human models. At first, this work was thought of as disturbing by many since humans tend to think of themselves on a higher level than other animals. The aspect that struck me the most about his photography is the humanity that he is able to establish in the facial expressions of the dogs. It must have taken him hours to get the right raised eyebrow or poignent look. I had enough trouble just trying to get my cat to look at the camera for my project, let alone emote!

The use of animals in a surrealist setting-as I am doing in my project-is a trait that is attributed to many of Dali's paintings. I remember when I was younger, looking at his paintings of
skinny-legged animals and thinking how terrifying they looked. In his surrealistic dreamscapes, there is a definate sense of the morbid. This is a quality I hope to achieve with my project. I'm not going for something as morbid as Dali, but I wouldn't mind making some people uncomfortable. Maybe I'll go for morbid with a bit of fun.