Surrealist Photography: Liberating expression
The pioneers of photography realised very quickly that photography was the ideal means for personal expression. In 1855 Oscar Gustave Rejlander made the first photo montages : combining two different images in 1 photograph. A technique which is easily but mostly also tastelessly applied in digital photography. It was a real relief to see the photo montages by Rejlander. He used the technique to create allegoric photos.
In this same tradition, with a touch of surrealism, we have the photo montages by the American photographer Allen A. Dutton (1922). Allegoric creatures composed with female body parts. The body parts are formed with chirurgical precision.
The Belgian surrealist photographer Marcel Mariën (1920-1993) with his surprising photo montages is a good counterbalance to Allen A. Dutton.
