“The Observers” is a surrealistic figurative painting created by Desmond Morris in 1973. As a piece of the Surrealism art movement, this artwork features elements and figures that appear to be a product of an imaginative and unconventional approach.
The painting presents a dream-like scene populated with peculiar and abstract entities that seem to blend characteristics of both living organisms and inanimate objects. At the center stands a complex structure with blue and brown tones, evoking perhaps a fusion of animal limbs and organic shapes, supporting a rounded pink form at the top that suggests a head or an eye, emphasizing the act of observing. On the left, reclined entities with elements resembling eyes and tentacles contribute to the enigmatic narrative. Colors are muted yet distinct, helping to demarcate each enigmatic figure from another. The background is relatively empty, save for the light-toned base that these figures appear to be positioned on, focusing the viewer’s attention fully on the surreal drama of the ‘observers’ and the observed. Overall, Morris’s work invites viewers to delve into a psychological landscape filled with symbolic and mysterious elements, challenging the boundaries between reality and imagination.
