Stephen X. Arthur

[Album 1 of 4] These 70+ tempera paintings were created by a kind of spontaneous improvisation and stream of consciousness that often generates unexpected insights and symbolism. The figurative images often produce a kind of cinematic narrative. Here they are presented in a thematic sequence. To quickly scroll through 170+ paintings in reverse chronological sequence, choose "Photostream."
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In FLICKROCK, scroll through the paintings one by one or step through with the space bar. Slideshow starts automatically--tap to return to where you were. Use the cursor to zoom in or to view on Flickr with information, free image licensing, and downloading. Click the Flickr icon on the left panel for the Artist Biography and the 160+ Photostream. (Side panels appear when you move the cursor.)
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"While art movements have tended historically to be about the beauty or quality of the object produced, Surrealism produces art as a means rather than an end. It differs from standard avant-gardes in its refusal of originality and newness for their own sake. The [standard] avant-garde pushes the boundaries of aesthetics toward ever renewed expressive forms; Surrealism tends instead to use forms, new or traditional, as tools with which to express a particular spirit. This spirit is above all one of dissidence and defiance, subtended by a belief in the inexhaustible capacity for wonder that resides in each of us, here and now."

-- Mark Polizzotti, "Why Surrealism Matters", 2024, Yale University Press.