Magical realism. The main features of the artistic method

Magical realism is more an artistic method than an aesthetic trend, formed in the early twentieth century in Europe and America. And most clearly it manifested itself in the work of Latin American writers and artists of North America. But before touching on the distinctive features of this trend, we briefly list the main features of realism, the flow in art that emerged and developed throughout the nineteenth century and captured all the world art and, above all, literature.

In artistic images , realist writers tried to reflect the very essence of life. Their work became a means of understanding the surrounding and complex, multifaceted human personality in the world. And one of the main criteria for the aesthetics of realism is the display of deep contradictions and the philosophy of life through the most ordinary heroes in typical circumstances. Another important criterion for the art of realism is a life-affirming humanism, even a tragic end-always the beginning of a new life that can be reshaped and changed. The surrounding reality in the works of realists is knowable and changeable, it is always given in development, new contradictions and conflicts arise, and this is the basis of new relations.

The aesthetics of realism gave rise to many original artistic methods, which, adhering to its basic principles, however, reflected the reality, as if through a multifaceted prism, through the edges of which it assumed sometimes unusual fantastic outlines.

Magical realism and its elements in literature and the visual arts

The French critic E.Zhalu first identified the main stylistic elements of magical realism. This artistic method, in his opinion, transforms reality, highlighting in it strange, fantastic images, thanks to which the surrounding reality appears in a surreal, fantastic, symbolic form.

The style of magical realism is complex for perception. Representatives of this method (Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Goran Petrovich, Jorge Amado, Carlos Castaneda and many others) use special techniques in the literary works . This, above all, a large number of bright capacious symbols and images, often borrowed from mythology, a thorough detailing of the surrounding reality. The surrealistic, magical space surrounding the heroes is completely accepted and lived by them. One of the brightest methods is the distortion of time - it seems to be completely absent and the action takes place in a temporary vacuum, or develops cyclically, often the past and the future change places. Sometimes the logic of the narrative is violated, its causal relationship, and the emotional experiences of the characters can be long before the events that are associated with them. Characteristic for these works and an open final, which allows the reader to identify and reveal the significance of the magical and symbolic meanings of the novel.

Magical realism in painting is often replaced by the term "post-impressionism", which means an artistic device that combines elements of abstraction in the depiction of reality. In the paintings of artists - representatives of magical realism (Mikalojus Čiurlionis, Marc Chagall, Ivan Albright, Andrew Wyeth and others), in spite of all their stylistic diversity, one can find some common features. In contrast to abstract art, they tried very carefully and detailed to depict the real reality, however, while deliberately mixing up spatial plans, changing the interiors and exteriors. One of the brightest stylistic devices is the play of chiaroscuro and reflections, as well as figures and backgrounds, which creates that magical impression.

American artist Andrew White drew rural landscapes and portraits of real people with almost photographic accuracy, carefully and in the smallest detail drawing the smallest details. However, his paintings create a special poetic mood due to the unusual foreshortening of the image, poses, as well as the transmission of light and spatial perspective.

Magical realism as an artistic method used and filmmakers. An example here is the film of Akira Kurosawa's "Dreams" and David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".