1Anna ZurekHAA 2403/12/14Final Paper AssignmentIn this essay I will argue that Petra Eisenberg a !erman interwar artist a"ti#e in years 1$21%1$3$ sh&ul' be per"ei#e' as a legitimate member &( the surrealist mement 'espite the (a"t that she was a((iliate' with the gr&up &( Fren"h surrealists &nly (&r a #ery brie( peri&' &( time) *& pre that p&int I will 'em&nstrate h&w Eisenberg+s w&rks were i'e&l&gi"ally parallel t&the i'eas &( surrealism e#en l&ng a(ter she has &((i"ially le(t the mement) I will als& e,plain why 'espite "utting her ties t& Fren"h surrealism she "&ntinue' t& "reate art that was its emb&'iment)-e(&re .umping int& analysis &( Eisenberg+s w&rks we ha#e t& "&nsi'er the bi&graphi"al (a"t&rs that le(t mark &n her later "areer) First &( all m&st pe&ple are n&t aware that Eisenberg "ame (r&m a (amily with l&ng establishe' tra'iti&n &( me'i"al pr&(essi&ns) Her (ather was a pr&minent psy"hiatrist whi"h put signi(i"ant pressure &n her "areer "h&i"e) *hat+s why in 1$13 she enr&lle' at the Humb&l't /ni#ersity ma.&ring in psy"h&l&gy) *hree years later she l&st her (ather wh& #&lunteere' as a me'i" in the 0&rl' 0ar I) A(ter that she struggle' with se#ere 'epressi&n whi"h she e#entually 'e(eate' when she (irst starte' painting) 1&&n a(ter getting her 'ipl&ma in psy"h&l&gy she enr&lle' again this time at the -erlin 1"h&&l &( Applie' Arts) 2uring her late /ni#ersity years Eisenberg g&t intereste' in 2A2A be"ause this mement &((ere' the artisti" resp&nse t& the h&rr&rs &( the 0&rl' 0ar I) 3ike many &ther 2a'aists Eisenberg was parti"ularly intereste' in the ways in whi"h psy"h&l&gi"al trauma "an be e,presse' thr&ugh art) 1he t&&k inspirati&n (r&m -all+s per(&rman"es (as"inate' by h&w is&late'2an' with'rawn he seeme' &n stage 42em&s et al) 105) 1he in"&rp&rate' that is&lati&n al&ng with the la"k &( erall "&heren"e &( 2a'aist art in her series &( p&rtraits "reate' in years 1$20%1$24 in the ph&t&"&llage te"hni6ue) *hese early w&rks were "hara"teri7e' by 'epi"ting a human being as a sum &( many parts m&stly n&t (itting t&gether #ery well) -y n&t s"aling the b&'y parts in appr&priate ways mispla"ing them using elements (r&m 'i((erent newspapers &r ph&t&graphs an' e#en &""asi&nally a''ing s&me animal "hara"teristi"s Eisenberg "reate' a signi(i"ant am&unt &( tensi&n in her "&llages) Her purp&se was t& hint the psy"h&l&gi"al turm&il by 'epi"ting human b&'y as (ragmente' with the elements s& is&late' (r&m &ne an&ther that they "&ul' barely "&nsist a wh&le) *& make her p&int e#en m&re &b#i&us she w&ul' "h&&se 'ark ba"kgr&un's whi"h a''e' t& her w&rks e,tra layer &( e'giness)-y the en' &( 1$24 Eisenberg le(t (&r Paris in h&pes t& immerse hersel( in the #ibrant artisti" "&mmunity &( the Fren"h "apital) 1&&n a(ter arri#al she be"ame a member in the gr&up &( surrealists lea' by the pi&neer &( that mement % An'r8 -ret&n) At this time she aban'&ne' ph&t&"&llage an' e,perimente' with #ari&us te"hni6ues but her main "&n"ern staye' the same 9 t& make her w&rks ren'er the 'epths &( human min') It may seem sh&"king that Eisenberg le(t the mement whi"h appeare' per(e"t (&r her &nly a year a(ter .&ining) *he e,planati&n (&r that "an be (&un' in the letters she wr&te t& a (rien'in Zuri"h) A""&r'ing t& them by 1$2: she was (airly "&n"erne' ab&ut the in"reasing a((iliati&n between the surrealists an' the "&mmunist party 41h&rt ;5) 1he mistruste' "&mmunism an' m&re imp&rtantly she was n&t "&n#in"e' that 3enin+s i'eas were parallel t& the i'eas &( surrealism) 2espite her &b.e"ti&ns -ret&n an' many &( his (ell&w artists insiste' that "&mmunism ha' the re#&luti&nary p&tential mu"h nee'e' by surrealists t& (inally trans(&rm the s&"iety an' in"ite ne &( the things that make this parti"ular lan's"ape surreal is the artist+s "h&i"e &( "&l&r) *he san' 'une "l&sest t& the #iewer is will&w green alm&st yell&w at the t&p an' getting 'arker t&war's the b&tt&m) *his (irst 'une is 'i((erent (r&m &thers that appear 'ark green alm&st bla"k an' resemble a"tual m&untains as they rise higher an' higher in the ba"kgr&un' an' alm&st t&u"h the sky whi"h is &nly a narr&w line at the #ery t&p &( the pi"ture) *he sky similarly t& the san' m&untains is alm&st bla"k with a slight yell&w &utline ar&un' the highest m&untain t&ps) A''iti&nally e#en th&ugh m&st m&untains appear 'ark their t&nes 'i((er slightly an' &""asi&nally we "an e#en sp&t a pat"h &( bright green 'eep int& the pi"ture) *he erall (eel &( the painting is "&mplete' by the large gl&wing sun whi"h l&&ks parti"ularly 'isturbing be"ause ithas n& pla"e in this n&"turnal lan's"ape an' als& 'ue t& its unnatural s"arlet hue)An&ther surrealisti" (eature &( the painting is the relati&n &( its tw& sub.e"t matters 9 the (irst an' m&re &b#i&us 4'esert5 an' the se"&n' &ne hinte' in the title 4state &( human min'5) *hisis the kin' &( surrealism whi"h (eatures tw& "lashing realities seemingly un"&nne"te' yet b&un'within the artw&rk by the imaginati&n &( the artist) Psyche resembles in a way a 'ream reality an' (r&m the a#ailable bi&graphi" n&tes we kn&w that Eisenberg was (as"inate' with Freu'+s resear"h ab&ut the un"&ns"i&us min') *he 'esert may seem empty but it h&l's s&me uni'enti(ie' pr&(&un' presen"e whi"h emerges as the