Integrating Surrealism: Rorschach

How do we integrate Surrealism to the art classroom?

One game that surrealists use is the Rorschach Test. Many know this test in regards to Psychology but it can also be used to open up students to a surrealist state of mind.
Surrealism allows students to break the ideas of the "standard" view. Students have the chance to be creative with the way they see the world and not feel shy or wrong about their findings.
Surrealism focuses on play to key the student into a new way of thinking.
The Rorschach test is a simple and effective way of getting students involved in the Surrealism thought.

How to create a Rorschach Ink Blot:

Materials
- White Paper (8 1/2" x 11")
- Black Tempera Paint
- Paint Brush

Steps
1. Take a piece of paper (8 1/2" x 11")
2. Fold piece of paper in half and then unfold.
3. Blob paint on one half of the folded side.
4. Fold paper back in half, when opened again you have a Rorschach blot!

To bring the Rorschach Test to a student's interest, start by showing Crazy by Gnarls Barkley. 



The Rorschach ink blot only serves as a first step.
As an extension into a lesson have students make their own inkblot and then have students discuss their inkblots with one another at their table. As students are discussing what they see in their inkblots have them each write down a word that describes what they see in each inkblot at the table.
Example: from the ink blot above is see the face of a cat, someone screaming, and hands.

Allowing for discussion gives students a chance to play ideas off one another and it also allows for students to hear new ideas and look at work with new views.

After coming up with all of the descriptive words students can move to a large drawing.
Each table could get a sheet of drawing paper around 30" x 40".
Using only the words they came up with from their ink blots they have to work together and create a drawing. Show work by Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Joan Miro, and other surrealist artists.

To keep students in the surrealist state of mind, remind them of the concepts of surrealism and encourage free thinking. At this stage students will be working together to find a new way to comprise what seems to a random set of words.

The ideas of surrealism give way for students to engage with new thought. By using the Rorschach test as an introduction to surrealism, students can gradually build from the beginning.