Dreams Are What They Are

What is a dream? To put it simply, a dream is ones thoughts and emotions that pass through their mind during sleep. Our minds organize the events of the day and present it to us in such an unrealistic way that we should pick up the false settings that we're in, but we do not. Everything seems normal in our dreams, no matter how ridiculous or deranged the situation is. The imagination has captivated many individuals for centuries since it is so mysterious and perplexing. It can give us our inspiration to try new things and it can frighten us and make us withdrawn from reality. The subject of dreams has been a major influence in art for centuries. It has fueled mythology, driven the Surrealist movement and today still brings some unique, artistic approaches to modern life.

William Blake, Salvador Dali and David Reisman; men that have lived in different times and yet are all connected by their inspiration from dreams. How does their inspiration from dreams get reflected in their artworks?

William Blake was an English poet, painter and musician. He was a mystic and visionary, and a leading figure in the romantic period. He played a critical role in the Western Worlds apprehension of imagination. He once explained that, "The imagination is not a State: it is the Human existence itself" (Elliott). His artwork, The Ancient of Days (see attachment), is an artwork that portrayed Jesus Christ as an old man, and symbolizes that he existed for all eternity. The design of the piece was made in such a way to perplex people. He wanted to show the limits of perception and Moral absolutes in his artwork. "If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite" (Jones). Blake's regard for the bible always conflicted with his hostility towards the church, but he still enjoyed writing and painting about the Old Testament and illustrating the Book of Job. His beliefs where strongly presented in his artworks as he was also influenced by the Romantic Movement that was unfolding before him. His views were years before there time and he expressed it through his artwork and literature. Blake wanted to recreate the cosmos that he saw in his dreams but had to be careful not to draw any negative attention towards him from the church (Merriman). He instead chose to mask his philosophy's with religious overtones which made them perplex. Blake still managed to present his visions and concepts to the public but was still handcuffed by some of the cultural customs of his time. As time went on, these binds would loosen and bring forth a new age of art to the world.

The Modern art era brought with it a new mentality to the art world. The introduction of photography made the need to paint subjects realistically practically obsolete. Within this era was the Surrealist movement, the ideal depiction to show dreams influences in the art world. They believed that "logic had failed humankind, so they turned to the unconscious and dreams in an attempt to transcend the boundaries of reason." Salvador Dali represents these ideals perfectly. As a young boy, he developed many phobias and anxieties and therefore kept to himself. He established a taste for psychology, philosophy and politics

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