author: lexie
date: 2013-01-11
title: Surrealist Photographs Transform Dingy Architecture Into Masterful Art
status: published
description: >
There is something inherently whimsical about Surrealist art in general.
When most people think of Surrealism, they think of Salvador Dalí and his incredibly
bizarre and wonderful paintings. His paintings, some overtly sexual, others completely
implausible, showcase a dreamlike and other worldly point of view.
featured: 4
categories:
- Architecture
- Design
tags:
- architecture
- art
- design
- photography
- surrealism
- surrealist photography

There is something inherently whimsical about Surrealist art in general. When most people think of Surrealism, they think of Salvador Dalí and his incredibly bizarre and wonderful paintings. His paintings, some overtly sexual, others completely implausible, showcase a dreamlike and other worldly point of view.

Yet surrealist photography in particular, in its combination of realist themes, becomes something different entirely.

French photographer Laurent Chéhère takes generic existing themes such as residential buildings, people, places, things and couples them with the surreal idea of floating to create what he refers to as, “the poetic vision of the old Paris.”

By taking ordinary photographs of residential buildings in Paris and digitally manipulating them, Chéhère creates extraordinary flying architecture. He removes these seemingly average buildings from the cluttered streets of Paris; in so doing he transforms shabby architectural ruins into fantastic artist masterpieces.

In an exclusive interview with Dezeen magazine, Chéhère states,

“I tried to get these sad houses out of the anonymity of the street, to help them to tell their story, true or fantasized.”

Images courtesy of (C) Laurent Chéhère

Information (C) Dezeen Magazine