little-cereal-draws

[little-cereal-draws]

What is Surrealism?

Surrealism was an artistic movement that started after WWI and spread across many artistic disciplines: painting, drawing, photography, performance art, writing, and film. It's founder, André Breton, described it as a movement to "resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality into an absolute reality, a super-reality." Simply put, artists were exploring dreams and the unconscious.

This interest in the unconscious mind was being explored in scientific disciplines too with the works of Sigmund Freud and his peers. Freud argued that human consciousness and behavior is influenced by the unconscious, breaking the personality down into three parts: id, ego, superego. The id is the unconscious, the ego is the consciousness, and the superego is a bit of both. He also argued for the psychosexual stages of development, a way of viewing children's mental development from birth to adulthood through the strength and focus of their libido.

Freud's theories were very popular amongst Surrealist artists, particularly the male ones, and Surrealists like Salvador Dalí drew heavily from Freud's work.

However, some artists like Leonora Carrington, featured in Spiritual Surrealism, distanced themselves from Freud's theories. They still explored the unconscious and dreams but rejected Freud's misogynistic studies in favor for their own ideologies.

Landscape, Color Pencil, André Breton, 1933, MoMA

Further reading:

Sigmund Freud - Wikipedia

Salvador Dalí - Wikipedia

Freudian Psychology: Sigmund Freud's Theories and Ideas

Surrealism - Wikipedia

The Manifesto of Surrealism, by André Breton 

Surrealism Beyond Borders - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Donate to the Museum

View the exhibition

[little-cereal-draws]

Come get your Maurice angst!

Maurice sighed as he looked out the window at the endless blue sky. He had been left alone in the palace for a week and, as much as he never thought he would admit it, he missed the lively Prince and his parents.

They were on some family get away that apparently he wasn’t invited to. Prince Julien had begged and cried and screamed until his parents finally gave in and said Maurice could come along. But right as the four of them were about to walk out the door, they revealed that there wasn’t actually space for Maurice after all. It was said so suddenly, neither him nor Julien had time to process it before they slammed the door in Maurice’s face.

He was angry at first; he hadn’t been on a vacation before and spent all week excitedly listening to Julien recount stories from their last family vacation. He had even packed his own bag with the few possessions he didn’t share with Julien.

But he didn’t get to go.

After the anger wore off, he realized the freedom he had. Everyone was gone. Except, of course, the grouchy King Julien the XII, Prince Julien’s uncle, but besides him, Maurice had the whole palace to himself. He jumped on the bed and ate mangos until he was sick and stayed up late looking at the stars. It was incredible.

But after a few days, the silence was deafening. There were only so many times he could play mountain explorer by himself, jumping along the tops of the airplane seats, before he got bored. He needed his friend back.

The boredom gave way to sadness as he wished again he was with them. He imagined the campfires and the adventures, the exciting new sights and food. Julien even said that his dad had taught him about the constellations on their last trip.

Maurice didn’t know anything about the constellations.

He hoped the royal family returning would get rid of his loneliness but as Julien tackled him in a bone crushing hug, he didn’t feel any better.

“Mo-mo!” Julien exclaimed, lifting him off the ground with excitement.

“Hey,” was all Maurice could reply.

“Ugh, it’s filthy in here,” Princess Julienne commented, wiping her finger along a dashboard in the wall. “Mark, I thought you were supposed to be cleaning.”

Maurice froze. “Uh–”

“He can clean later,” Julien interrupted. “I have to tell him everything that happened first.”

Prince Barry sighed. “Fine, but he needs to take our bags.”

The two of them retired to their bedroom as Maurice started stacking the heavy wicker suitcases and Julien fluttered about him, already telling an exciting new story.

“It was so funny!” Julien crowed. “Man, I wish you could’ve seen it.”

“Me too,” Maurice mumbled. He slowly teetered down the hall, bags stacked higher than his head. His arms hurt.

Couldn’t Princess Julienne and Prince Barry take their own bags if they were going to their room anyway? Why wasn’t Julien carrying his own suitcase? Why did Maurice get all of the work and none of the fun? He glared at Julien out of the corner of his eye.

Julien was still laughing, absolutely oblivious to Maurice’s growing frustration.

When Maurice looked down to see where he was placing his feet, he found his vision blocked with tears.

Uh oh.

No, he wasn’t going to cry. It was embarrassing. And what was he even upset about? This wasn’t any different from how it was before the vacation.

“Uh, Mo-mo?” Julien asked, voice uncharacteristically soft. “You alright there?”

Maurice realized he had stopped walking and felt the tears running down his cheeks. They were hot and shameful.

He dropped the suitcases with a deafening thud and covered his face with his arm. “Don’t look at me!”

He jumped out the window, quickly scaling the branches to the very top of the baobab tree, choking out sobs. Distantly, he heard Julien calling after him.

Don’t follow me, don’t follow me, don’t follow me, he thought. Maybe it was selfish after a week of being apart but he didn’t want anything to do with his friend right now.

Unfortunately, Julien has never been one to do what people want him to. He popped out of the canopy a few yards from Maurice.

“Maurice! There you are!” he called. “Are you ok?”

There was no point in hiding it anymore.

Maurice wiped some snot on his tail. “No! I– I–”

Julien lept over and ran his fingers through the fur on Maurice’s head. For some reason it made his blood boil.

“It’s ok, Mo-mo, let it all out,” Julien soothed.

Maurice pushed him away. “Get away from me!”

“What?” Shock and hurt were written all over Julien’s face.

Why did he say that to his friend? To his Prince?

Maurice couldn’t stop another round of tears from spilling over as he frantically backtracked. “No, I mean– I mean– I… I need to be alone right now.”

“Oh… Ok…” Julien still looked absolutely devastated. “But we can be alone together.”

Maurice shook his head.

“I’ll be quiet!” Prince Julien pleaded. “And I’ll be still! You won’t even know I’m here!”

The ghost of a smile traced Maurice’s lips. “We both know you can’t do that, Your Majesty.”

Julien pouted but quickly gave in. “Fine, whatever. I don’t care. Be sad by yourself.”

He disappeared into the leaves. Maurice took a deep breath.

—

The shadows had shifted when Maurice slowly opened the door to their bedroom. Julien looked up from where he lay on the big four poster bed.

“Are you done being alone, mister grouchy-mean-guy?” Julien grumbled.

“Prince Julien,” Maurice started, walking over to him, “I’m sorry I snapped at you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yes,” Julien huffed. “I was trying to be a good friend.”

Maurice climbed up on the bed next to him. Julien turned his back to him, arms crossed. Maurice put a hand on his shoulder, gently pulling at his fur.

“You were, but I– I didn’t want to see you, I mean–” He sighed. “I’m jealous of you.”

Julien looked over his shoulder. “Huh?”

Maurice’s shoulders slumped. “I wanted to go on the vacation.”

Julien sat up. “There will be more vacations.”

“That’s not it. Your parents said I could come and I was so excited and then I couldn’t and… I want someone to take me on vacations. Family vacations. I want–” Tears welled up in his eyes again. He wiped them away. “Someone like your parents, I guess.”

Realization slowly crept over Julien’s face. Within a moment, he pulled Maurice into his arms, all anger forgotten.

“You already have a family, Mo-mo. I am your family,” Julien said.

Maurice looked up at him. “You?”

“Yes. And when I am king, we’ll go on vacation everyday”

“Every day? I’m not sure that’s a good idea–”

“Shh. We’ll go to the beach and the mountains and the lake and– and– and everywhere.” Julien said, fluffing up Maurice’s tail. “And you’ll never be left home alone again. I’ll be with you.”

Maurice’s lip wobbled. “I’d really like that, Your Majesty.”

“And we will ride from the top of a waterfall in a barrel.”

Maurice looked up. “Uh…”

“I did it just the other day. It was super fun. Did almost get eaten by a crocodile though.”

Maurice rested his head back against Julien’s chest. “Can you tell me that story?”

Julien grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”

[little-cereal-draws]

Clover: I can do anything I put my mind to. I once figured out Maurice's phone number just by choosing random numbers.

-- Mort: Money is just King Julien trading cards

-- Clover: Well, I'm very sorry to hear about your mother. King Julien: Mmm, we aren't really that close. Clover: Oh, good.

-- King Julien: So, I got this amazing plan! Maurice: We fail almost every time you say that. King Julien: Well, this is the same! But with a hamster involved.

-- Maurice: Yesterday, I watched Mort try to eat a decorative rock from King Julien's potted plant. Clover caught him and told him he can't eat rocks. Mort started whining something about no food being in the house before walking away.

-- King Julien: Are you packed for the trip? Mort: Yup. King Julien: Then where are your bags? Mort: All I’m bringing is a good attitude and a sense of adventure. King Julien: A change of underwear might be nice.

-- King Julien: Maurice, I want a bedtime story! Maurice: I’m busy, King Julien. I’ll tell you one tomorrow. King Julien: If you don’t tell me a story, I won’t go to bed! Maurice: Once upon a time, there was a lemur named King Julien, who always wanted things his way. One day, his friends got sick of it and locked him in the basement for the rest of his life. Everyone else lived happily ever after. The end. King Julien: I don’t like these stories with morals.

-- Maurice: You’re a horrible person! King Julien: Maybe. But I’m rich and I’m pretty, so it doesn’t really matter.

-- Mort: I am not a lunatic. I have the psychiatric report to prove it. A slender majority of the panel decided in my favor.

[little-cereal-draws]

Maurice: Guys, where did Pancho go? King Julien: He got arrested. Maurice: How the hell- Pancho: *bursts in through the window* The cops are after me, I thought it would be fun to steal crackers and throw them at people.

[little-cereal-draws]

Clover: I’ve made a spread sheet of all the crime in Brooklyn. Clover: There’s so much crime in New York, no one should live here.

-- Maurice: Heyyy Mort, how’s your… drink?? Mort: What do you mean drink? It’s coffee. Maurice: You sure?? *Looks at coffee maker* Mort: *Looks at coffee maker* *Cement sitting beside the coffee maker* Mort: I’m on my third drink right now.

-- Maurice: King Julien, is that my mug you’re drinking out of? King Julien: No, it’s mine. Maurice: It… looks just like the one I have… King Julien: You don’t have one like this anymore.

-- Mort: I love you. King Julien: How many people have you told that to? Mort: Everyone. King Julien: What? Mort: I told everyone that I love you.

-- Clover: Please confirm to your knowledge that you are not a fully robotic being, were born an organic creature, and do in fact possess what many cultures would call a soul. Maurice: What? “To my knowledge?” Do a lot of people not know if they’re robots? Clover: Thank you for your confirmation.

-- Mort: What’s up? I’m back. Maurice: I literally saw you die. You died. You were dead. Mort: Death is a social construct.

[little-cereal-draws]

Clover: As usual, Clover has to save the day! Maurice: As usual, Maurice has to hear about it.

-- Mort: Did you just call me a shrimp, you asshole?! I'm still growing, dammit!

-- Clover: I need life advice. Mort, sipping Gatorade and eating cookie dough: You came to the right person.

-- Maurice: When I said bring me something back from the beach, I meant like a conch shell! Clover: *Struggling to hold a seagull* Fucking say that next time!

-- King Julien, rushing into the room: It’s terrible, just terrible! I am so upset! Maurice: King Julien, love, sit down! Tell us all about it. Mort, would you get King Julien some water? Clover: What is he gonna do with water? Has water ever made you feel better when you were upset? Have you ever heard anyone say, “Thank God, the water’s here!”?

-- Mort: King Julien has only knocked me out three time this week. Our friendship is really developing.

-- *Mort is shopping with Clover* Mort: Can I get a silenced pistol? Clover: If there’s one on sale.

-- King Julien: We have to plan; we have to figure something out. Maurice: King Julien, when have any of our plans ever actually worked? We plan, we get there, all hell breaks loose.

[little-cereal-draws]

You cannot tell me this isn't Maurice at Julien

[little-cereal-draws]

Heartrender Husbands + Genya

Fedyor: I think I just figured something out. I got to go. Ivan: Aren't you forgetting something? Fedyor: Uh… *hesitantly kisses Ivan's forehead before running out* Ivan: No, pay your bill! Damn, who raised you?

-- Genya: I’m not like other girls. I’m way, way worse.

-- Genya: You saved me! Why? Ivan: People would think I murdered you if I didn't.

-- Genya, texting Fedyor: Fedyor! Help I'm being kidnapped! Fedyor: Where are you? Genya: I'm with some strange person. In a car. Help. Fedyor: I'll call Ivan. Ivan, answering his cell: Hello? Fedyor: Where's Genya? She texted me that she was being kidnapped. Ivan: Genya? What do you mean, She's right next to me- Ivan: Ivan: I'll call you back. *Hangs up* Ivan: THE NEW HAIRCUT ISN'T THAT BAD! Genya: WHO ARE YOU!?

-- Ivan: Surgery is basically just stabbing someone to life. Genya: Please never become a healer.

-- Genya: Hey, quick question. How petty am I allowed to be? -- Fedyor: Are you sure Ivan's even gay? He barely even looked at me. -- Ivan: Look, I know you think my judgement's clouded because I like Fedyor a little bit. Genya, holding Ivan's notepad: You doodled your wedding invitation. Ivan: No, that's our joint tombstone. Genya: My mistake.

[little-cereal-draws]

Billy: I'm a witch. I mixed some herbs and crystals together and now my cat knows the f-word.

[little-cereal-draws]

Spiritual Surrealism

Spiritual Surrealism is out now!

Focusing on the work of three turn of the century artists--Hilma af Klint, Leonora Carrington, and Hector Hyppolite--this exhibition highlights both how the artistic movement of Surrealism was intertwined with the rise of modern Occultism and the variety of artistic traditions under the Surrealism umbrella. Explore the work of artists that talked to spirits, cast spells, and worshiped gods.

Donate to the Museum

[little-cereal-draws]

King Julien: Hey, you wanna know a secret? Clover: No. King Julien: Okay. Clover: Clover: Do you smell smoke? King Julien: The secret is that the house is on fire.

-- Clover: Do you even, cuddle, bro? Do you even lift, bro… each other up with kindness? Do you tell your loved ones that you care about them regardless of who is listening? DO YOU EVER RESOLVE CONFLICTS, EMOTIONAL ISSUES THROUGH COMPROMISE AND COMPASSION RATHER THAN ANGER AND DENIAL?!

-- Maurice: Do you want a drink? King Julien: I could go for some appy slices right now. Maurice: With a little peanut butter to dip them in? King Julien: FUCKING OF COURSE I WANT PEANUT BUTTER MAURICE!

-- Clover: Something’s off. King Julien: Maybe you’ve finally developed human emotions and feel bad for hurting people. Clover: No, but that’s funny.

-- King Julien: Well, if you're not at least a little bit gay for your friends, then what kind of friend are you?

-- Maurice: No homo. We’re fresh out. We should get a new shipment in on Monday. Clover: Can you check in the back? King Julien: There might be some in the closet.

-- King Julien: Maurice and I are so close we even share a toothbrush. Maurice: We what?

-- King Julien: Maurice! Have you no dignity? Maurice: Of course not! How long have we known each other?

-- King Julien & Maurice: *accidentally set the kitchen on fire* King Julien: We need an adult! Maurice: King Julien, you are an adult! King Julien: We need an adultier adult! Get Clover!

-- Maurice: Did you just refer to a knife as a “people-opener”? Clover: Clover: …Should I not have?

[little-cereal-draws]

King Julien: I just got the best idea I've ever had in my entire life! *Later* Maurice, to King Julien: That was the worst idea you’ve ever had in your entire life.

-- King Julien: I never tell people off the bat that I'm gay. I wait. I wait until they say some homophobic shit and then I laugh and am like "you know I'm gay right?" and watch the look of terror on their face. Maurice: Maurice: I like you.

-- Maurice: Is something burning? King Julien, leaning seductively on the counter: Just my desire for you. Maurice: King Julien, the toaster is literally on fire.

-- Maurice: But what about Clover? King Julien: Don't worry about her. King Julien: I once watched her fall down 5 flights of stairs, stand up, and keep eating her hotdog like nothing happened.

-- King Julien: All in all, 100% successful trip! Clover: We lost Mort! King Julien: All in all, 100% successful trip!

-- King Julien: Last night, I had a dream about sandwich pizza. Maurice: What? King Julien: It was pizza with bread on the top and the bottom. Maurice: So a calzone? King Julien: You can’t just name things I dream up.

-- Maurice: Stop thinking whatever you're thinking. King Julien: Huh? Maurice: You always make that face when you're about to say something stupid just to piss me off. So cut it out- King Julien: I love you. Maurice: King Julien: King Julien: Also, cereal qualifies as a soup. Maurice: I KNEW IT!!

-- Maurice, hungover: Please tell me I'm imagining that I claimed I was king of the ducks. King Julien: I would, but then I would be lying to the King of All Ducks.

-- Clover, to King Julien: I mean, I get complimented all the time- Maurice: *starts cackling* Clover: I do! Maurice: *laughs harder*

-- Clover: You know what they say: you snooze you lose. And it looks like you snost and you lost.

[little-cereal-draws]

King Julien: Ow! Maurice: What is it? King Julien: It hurts right above my eyebrow. Maurice: That's called a stress headache. Maurice: I got my first one when I was four.

[little-cereal-draws]

King Julien: Ha! What are you gonna do, Koto? Stab me? Koto: Five minutes later King Julien, calling 911: HELP, IVE BEEN STABBED.

[little-cereal-draws]

Maurice: When I was your age- King Julien, mocking Maurice: When I was your height. Maurice: Maurice: Listen here you little shit-

[little-cereal-draws]

King Julien, texting: Hey can you pick me up I’m drunk. King Julien: Oh you don't have to anymore. I'm home now. Maurice: Yes, I'm aware of that after dropping you off at home.

[little-cereal-draws]

King Julien: Sometimes I talk to myself for no reason. King Julien: Me too! --

King Julien: Maurice and I are no longer friends! Maurice: THAT IS THE WORST WAY TO TELL PEOPLE WE'RE DATING! --

Maurice, looking at his friends: Ok, so I need to become a therapist faster.

--

Maurice: I called you like ten times! Why didn’t you pick up? King Julien: *remembers dancing to the ringtone* King Julien: I didn’t hear it.

--

Maurice: Where are your parents? King Julien: What are parents? Maurice: That’s just about the saddest thing I ever heard get said.

--

King Julien: I just realized that every person is living a life as vivid and complex as my own. King Julien: King Julien: I feel so bad for them.

--

King Julien: Okay, two person huddle. Maurice: You can't huddle with two people. This is just a hug.

--

Maurice, on the phone: Where are you? King Julien: I told you, I’m at work Maurice: Swear you’re not at Chuck E Cheese again? *skee ball machine alarm goes off in the background*

--

Maurice: Hi, I'm King Julien's emergency contact. Counter Woman: You're here to pick him up? Maurice: I'm here to remove myself as his emergency contact.

--

Maurice: I want you back… King Julien: 3 words, 8 letters. Say it, and I'm yours. Maurice: I got food? King Julien: …you know me so well.

--

King Julien: Just so everyone knows, don't ever try to climb a tree at night carrying a strobe light, owls DON'T like it. Maurice: …what happened? King Julien: I made a VERY bad mistake.

--

King Julien: Yo! I heard you like reptiles, got any fun facts? Maurice: If a crocodile eats your dad, they become your new dad.