George Grie NeoSurrealismArt

Home ArtPrints Paintings
surreal gothic divider
modern surrealism painting, contemporary surrealist graphic drawing, woman, face, sky, mysterious, sunny, female, clouds, away, portrait, creative, imagination, elegance, art, artistic, gothic, lighthouse, sand, dunes, lonely, abandoned, desert, nature, landscape, wall, cracks, old, background, stone, classic, weathered, scratches, illusion, retro, vintage, grunge, walls, dream, fictional, blue, art, shuttered, neo surreal, wallpaper, imaginary surrealism, fantasy, allegorical, three-dimensional, digital art, print poster
The Sky is the Limit or False Illusions and Imagination Duplicity
surreal gothic divider
Art posters and framed prints by fineartamerica
Our life experience is composed rather of illusions that we create than the true meaning of things. The well-known widespread proverb - the sky is the limit has a common meaning of something unlimited. Surprisingly, if one translates it to a different language it will mean the sky is “the limit” literally. Some people falsely believe that the phrase came from 15th century and belongs to the famous Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. However, it appears to be a modified, late interpretation of the original Spanish text. The phrase is much younger it is about 100 years old only. The expression was picked up and used widely after invention of the aeroplane. We know today that the “sky limit” is literally quite limited in the sense of the universe distance. Being an illusion however, this phrase is very popular and often applied to numerous, unrelated to distance qualities. The play of words that is what fascinated me this expression in the first place.

There are things that might look mysterious and unreal at first. Some of them such as the Death Valley Sailing Stones, Singing Sand Dunes, or Underwater Waves have been scientifically resolved, some not. Exempli Gratia: a lighthouse which is standing in the middle of a desert. It might look as a mirage or a hallucination. However, if one knows that one is on a shoreline of a sea that evaporated or moved away, it all becomes clear. Therefore, false illusion would be something that seems to be an illusion but is not. In Psychology this phenomena explains as a misleading perception or belief that represents what is observed in a way different from the way it is in reality. We are haunted, not by reality, but by those images we have put in their place. One has to realize that the past and future are all illusions, and they exist only in one’s imagination presently. We suffer primarily not from our vices or our weaknesses, but from our illusions. All our illusions, false or real, depend immensely on the level of complexity of our own imagination.

Imagination duplicity is the key to all illusions. Imagination defined as an ability of forming mental images and concepts of what is not really present to the senses. If we look at the synonyms of the word imagination we will find an array of expressions such as: intelligence, vision, creation, enterprise, etc. they are all quite truthful and positive. However, there are synonyms that are not so flattering: chimera, fabrication, nightmare, delusion, etc. The word illusion itself is a synonym the word imagination. So… here comes “the” question; what is more important – imagination or reality? Albert Einstein once answered this question by saying - Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. However, I think you have to answer this question on your own.

(Title Rus) Небо это не Предел или Ложные Иллюзии и Двойственность Воображения
Software used: Adobe Photoshop®, Adobe Illustrator®, 3ds Max®, Photo Stock
George Grie, September 2016

copyright icon
© Copyright | George Grie | Copying is permitted only with an active link to neosurrealismart.com
woman, face, sky, mysterious, sunny, female, clouds, away, portrait, creative, imagination, elegance, art, artistic, gothic, lighthouse, sand, dunes, lonely, abandoned, desert, nature, landscape, wall, cracks, old, background, stone, classic, weathered, scratches, illusion, retro, vintage, grunge, walls, dream, fictional, blue, art, shuttered, neo surreal, wallpaper, imaginary surrealism, fantasy, allegorical, three-dimensional, digital art, print poster The Sky is the Limit or False Illusions and Imagination Duplicity
The Sky is the Limit or False Illusions and Imagination Duplicity