Alebrijes belong to a type of art called “Surrealism.” The word “surreal” means “strange like a dream.” And that makes perfect sense! Pedro Linares López allegedly invented alebrijes after some pretty weird dreams.

The word “surrealism” comes from the French word “surréalisme.” French poet Guillaume Apollinaire first made it up. “Sur” means “beyond.” “Réalisme” means “realism.”
Creators practicing an earlier type of art, Realism, liked for everything to look just as it did in real life. No winged donkeys or dog-walking lizards there!

Study the differences between these types of art. Compare James Whistler’s Portrait of the Artist’s Mother to The Lost Infanta by Marion Adnams. Hold up by Tomorrow by Yves Tanguy beside Distant Thunder by Andrew Wyeth. Which type of painting do you enjoy more—real or surreal? There’s no wrong answer. Maybe you like both.

As people made in the image of God, artists create too. They can study the world closely and reproduce what they see. They can also use their imaginations to invent new combinations from what He made. All types of creativity come from the Creator.

And when it comes to art, remember that there are more choices than “Realism” and “Surrealism.” Artists throughout history have favored many other “isms,” including Romanticism, Expressionism, Impressionism, and Cubism.

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him. — Genesis 1:27