Surrealism Overview
Beginning in the mid-1920s, Surrealism captured the Modern imagination. In essence and definition, Surrealism began as a direct spillover from the Dada movement in art and culture. Its history reflects a new century. The Surrealists wanted to explore through poetry and prose the psychic dimension of the human mind. A huge source of inspiration was the groundbreaking work of Sigmund Freud.
Freud's work with free association, dream analysis, and the unconscious was of utmost importance to the Surrealists in developing methods to liberate imagination. They embraced idiosyncrasy, while rejecting the idea of an underlying madness. Later, Salvador Dalí explained it as: "There is only one difference between a madman and me. I am not mad."
Beside the use of dream analysis, they emphasized that "one could combine inside the same frame, elements not normally found together to produce illogical and startling effects."[4] Breton included the idea of the startling juxtapositions in his 1924 manifesto, taking it in turn from a 1918 essay by poet Pierre Reverdy, which said: "a juxtaposition of two more or less distant realities. The more the relationship between the two juxtaposed realities is distant and true, the stronger the image will be -- the greater its emotional power and poetic reality.".[5]
One of the Dadaists, Andre Breton (1896-1966), wrote the “Surrealist Manifesto” in 1924 in Paris. He described Surrealism as an attempt to transmute “those two seemingly contradictory states, dream and reality, into a sort of absolute reality, of surreality.”
When people think of Surrealism, they often think of Salvador Dali (1904-1989) and “The Persistence of Memory” (1931). Even in 1929, Dali’s “The First Days of Spring” shows a disturbing dreamland with fantastic figures, including at least one headless human.
What is important to understand is that Surrealism was global, especially as early Dada/Surrealists like Andre Breton and Marcel Duchamp traveled the world. Surrealism occupied artists in diverse locations, including Europe, the United States, South America, and Mexico. The concept that the human mind could transcend the earthly plane was a central way to view the “absolute reality” described by Breton.
Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works being an artifact. Leader André Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a revolutionary movement.
Surrealism developed out of the Dada activities during World War I and the most important center of the movement was Paris. From the 1920s onward, the movement spread around the globe, eventually affecting the visual arts, literature, film and music of many countries and languages, as well as political thought and practice, philosophy and social theory
Freud's work with free association, dream analysis, and the unconscious was of utmost importance to the Surrealists in developing methods to liberate imagination. They embraced idiosyncrasy, while rejecting the idea of an underlying madness. Later, Salvador Dalí explained it as: "There is only one difference between a madman and me. I am not mad."
Beside the use of dream analysis, they emphasized that "one could combine inside the same frame, elements not normally found together to produce illogical and startling effects."[4] Breton included the idea of the startling juxtapositions in his 1924 manifesto, taking it in turn from a 1918 essay by poet Pierre Reverdy, which said: "a juxtaposition of two more or less distant realities. The more the relationship between the two juxtaposed realities is distant and true, the stronger the image will be -- the greater its emotional power and poetic reality.".[5]
One of the Dadaists, Andre Breton (1896-1966), wrote the “Surrealist Manifesto” in 1924 in Paris. He described Surrealism as an attempt to transmute “those two seemingly contradictory states, dream and reality, into a sort of absolute reality, of surreality.”
When people think of Surrealism, they often think of Salvador Dali (1904-1989) and “The Persistence of Memory” (1931). Even in 1929, Dali’s “The First Days of Spring” shows a disturbing dreamland with fantastic figures, including at least one headless human.
What is important to understand is that Surrealism was global, especially as early Dada/Surrealists like Andre Breton and Marcel Duchamp traveled the world. Surrealism occupied artists in diverse locations, including Europe, the United States, South America, and Mexico. The concept that the human mind could transcend the earthly plane was a central way to view the “absolute reality” described by Breton.
Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works being an artifact. Leader André Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was above all a revolutionary movement.
Surrealism developed out of the Dada activities during World War I and the most important center of the movement was Paris. From the 1920s onward, the movement spread around the globe, eventually affecting the visual arts, literature, film and music of many countries and languages, as well as political thought and practice, philosophy and social theory