Vibrant Discovery: A Senior Surreal Photo by Thomas Wilson (2015)

In my surrealist piece, there were several objects as well as people linked together to evoke a certain sensation. On a gravel surface, the viewer sees a man crouched down looking into a box. Many of the colors are muted almost to the point of black and white. In the center of the picture, however, we see that inside the recently opened box there contains what looks like tall grass. In that grass, there kneels a man in a robe. The color of the box's contents are the opposite of the rest of the picture in that their vibrancy has been enhanced. There is also the illusion that the grass is taller than it should be as the robed man is made smaller but the grass is unchanged.

In my piece, I wanted to bring out a sense of discovery in the viewer. The elation and surprise that one would have upon finding something new is what I tried to get across to the viewer. By muting out the background and foreground, it makes those parts seem dull and boring. But with the vibrant colors of the inside the box, we become elated and happy with the discovery of the box as its contents are interesting and special compared to the rest of the piece.