Art Movement Influence - Ishmael Adams - 4/9/2026

 

    Ishmael Adams 

    Professor Doris Cacilio 

    Studio Research 1 

    4/9/2026 

    The art style that connects the most with my most recent work is a mix expressionism and surrealism, specifically a great deal of Egyptian surrealism art and European centric expressionism. At it's core surrealism is about the unconscious mind, where the world inside your mind takes form through art. The difference between the European version and it's African counterpart is the latter's focus on anti fascism, colonial, social and economic inequality. These ideals were formed in 1938 by a group of Cairo based artists in response to the growing fascism of the Nazi party called the Art and Liberty. A group who spearheaded Egyptian Surrealism and later gave influence to Contemporary Art Group, another Egyptian surrealist art group.  A great deal of my work tends to lean on the side of mind bending irrationality, but once you look closer at the ideas registered within those said works there are huge anti war, anti colonialist and anti fascistic messages within. In terms of artwork akin to Egyptian surrealism my work features a great deal of elongated limbs, eyeballs and supernatural elements to allow the viewer to ponder not only the world around them, but their own imagination which tends to bleed into Expressionism. 

    The expressionism aspect of my work tends to veer more toward how my art takes shape as opposed to it's meaning, though as stated in the previous paragraph above there are Expressionistic elements that are intrinsically connected to my work and the idea of the unconscious mind bleeding into the everyday normalcy of the world is an idea that I've touch on in my past works. Expressionism at it's core is the idea of depicting personal emotions through artwork, and like my other art movement influence it's history also connects with the anti war, humanistic sentiment that was prevalent at the tail end of the first World War and it's aftermath. A message I've similarly expressed in my artist message detailing my want to showcasing the personal aftermath of people and events expressed through art. In terms of technical art the emphasis on elongated limbs, vibrant colors, emotionality and rough brush strokes is one to one in terms of  Expressionism. 

Laurent Marcel Salinas, Naissance (Birth), 1944, oil 

Ishmael S. Adams, Watchers, 2023, charcoal

Umbrella man at Sea, Peter Max, 2009, Mixed Media/ acrylic

Ishmael Adams, Sunny Days, 2025, oil 

Sources: 

https://www.parkwestgallery.com/blog/what-is-expressionism-art/

https://www.artforum.com/events/when-art-becomes-liberty-the-egyptian-surrealists-1938-1965-226839/

https://www.rogallery.com/artists/laurent-marcel-salinas/naissance/