Most creativity stems from stories: stories of personal experience, of time, of movements or indeed of actual stories on a page, literature. Texts have long been an inspiration to artists over centuries, from myth and legend to contemporary poetry and stage plays. Art is the perfect expression of a reaction to another piece of creativity and time and time again, viewers have probably looked at an artwork without necessarily realising the impact of specific stories on the piece, or alternatively they have been inspired to discover the stories that inspired the artwork.

Like Dali, English artist Harland Miller has created work that is linked to literature, but in this case, art which references its inspiration in a much more direct and humorous way. Miller is also a writer and from his artworks it’s clear to see he loves playing with words and the meaning of language is a tool. His bold graphic paintings are eye catching and reference familiar iconography, notably and most famously the penguin book covers. However, what is different about the covers or titles we think we recognise is their wording which is altered, made up and has a cheeky and playful essence. Some example titles are ‘I’ll never forget what I can’t remember’ and ‘who cares wins’. The positioning of his words on make believe book covers makes the viewer take more notice, they’re looking for the story in the art and it inspires them to make their own humorous stories of what these may mean on the back of experiencing the art.

Salvador Dali is a name in the art world most will recognise for his iconic surrealist and bold paintings of dripping clocks and obscure dreamscapes. While his influences came from far and wide, arguably his work that was directly related to literature is lesser known. In 1969, the original Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ book from 1865 was being re-published, and Dali was selected to illustrate the new release. He created a pint artwork for each chapter of the book and the fusion of his surrealist and imaginative images with the crazy and obscure story was perfect. The most fitting of which, was of course of the mad hatter’s tea party scene. ‘Mad Tea Party’ presents us with a brightly coloured orange tree, vibrant larger than life butterflies and scenery that is melting with colour and unreal. If you didn’t read the title of the work, you would probably think this was another of Dali’s dreamscapes. It’s the perfect storm of artist and story merging together to create a fresh take on something

Literature it seems, considering these artists work – is a common influence for creativity, but can show itself in many different ways. The idea of stories and wanting to know more goes hand in hand with art and us wanting to experience something, whether this is established or our own independent thoughts when we look at something new. The art and references to literature are working together to create multiples stories and meanings for all to experience.