Surrealism
1 min read
Period: c. 1924 – 1940s CE (main period); highly influential thereafter Region: Originated in Paris, France; became international
Overview & Key Characteristics
Launched officially in Paris with André Breton's First Surrealist Manifesto in 1924, Surrealism emerged from the preceding Dada movement but aimed for a more constructive purpose: to unlock the power of the subconscious mind, dreams, and the irrational as a source of artistic creativity and a means to achieve a "superior reality," or sur-reality. Deeply influenced by Sigmund Freud's theories of psychoanalysis, Surrealists explored techniques like automatism (spontaneous writing or drawing without conscious control) and documented dreams to bypass reason and access deeper truths. Visually, Surrealism manifested in two main streams: Automatist Surrealism, characterized by abstract, biomorphic, or seemingly spontaneous forms (Miró, Masson), and Veristic (or Illusionistic) Surrealism, which employed highly realistic, detailed techniques to depict bizarre, dreamlike scenes and unexpected juxtapositions (Dalí, Magritte, Ernst, Tanguy). The movement spanned literature, painting, sculpture, photography, and film, aiming to revolutionize perception and experience.
Summary of Common Characteristics:
| Feature | Characteristic Description (Surrealism) |
|---|---|
| Light | Often Unrealistic, Dramatic, or Eerie: Used to enhance the dreamlike quality. Sharp, raking light creating long shadows (Dalí, Tanguy) or a mysterious, even glow underscores the uncanny nature of scenes. |
| Surface/Texture | Varied: Illusionistic or Experimental: Veristic Surrealists often used meticulous, smooth finishes to make the unreal believable. Others (Ernst) pioneered techniques like frottage (rubbing) and grattage (scraping) to create suggestive textures automatically. |
| Figures/Objects | Distorted, Juxtaposed, Biomorphic, Metamorphosing: Familiar objects appear in bizarre contexts (Magritte), forms melt or transform (Dalí), hybrid creatures emerge, abstract biomorphic shapes suggest primal life (Miró, Arp). The illogical juxtaposition is key. |
| Space/Depth | Illogical, Dreamlike, Often Vast or Claustrophobic: Rejects rational perspective. Features deep, empty, infinite-seeming landscapes (Tanguy), uncanny interiors, or compressed, stage-like settings. Space reflects psychological states. |
| Color Palette | Realistic or Subjective/Symbolic: Veristic Surrealists might use naturalistic color to heighten the illusion of unreal scenes. Automatism or more abstract approaches might use color more freely, emotionally, or symbolically. Unexpected color combinations are common. |
| Composition | Based on Dream Logic & Unexpected Juxtaposition: Arrangements often defy rational explanation, guided by free association or automatic processes. Aims to surprise, disturb, or intrigue the viewer through uncanny combinations. |
| Details/Lines | Veristic: Hyper-realistic detail lends credibility to impossible scenes. Automatist: Free-flowing, spontaneous lines generated subconsciously (Masson, Miró). Can be precise and sharp or fluid and organic. |
| Mood/Emotion | Dreamlike, Mysterious, Uncanny, Erotic, Disturbing, Humorous (often dark), Liberating, Unsettling. Explores the depths of the psyche – desire, fear, memory, obsession. Challenges logic, convention, and repression. |
| Subject Matter | The Unconscious Mind: Dreams, fantasies, repressed desires, fears. Psychoanalysis: Direct influence of Freud. Automatism & Chance: Methods to bypass reason. Bizarre Juxtapositions & Metamorphosis. Eroticism & Fetishism. Mythology (reinterpreted psychologically). Critique of Rationality. |
Surrealism sought to tap into the hidden realities of the mind, believing this deeper reality held greater truths than everyday consciousness.
Historical Context & Influences
Surrealism arose in the interwar period in Europe:
- Post-WWI Disillusionment: A deep skepticism towards the rationalism and societal norms that led to the war, inherited from Dada.
- Rise of Psychoanalysis: Sigmund Freud's theories on dreams, the unconscious, the Oedipus complex, and libido provided a theoretical framework and inspiration.
- Political Climate: Developed amidst the political tensions of the 1920s and 30s (rise of Fascism); many Surrealists held leftist or communist sympathies initially, aiming for social as well as psychological liberation.
- Exile during WWII: The war forced many Surrealists (Breton, Ernst, Masson, Tanguy, etc.) to flee Europe, primarily to New York and Mexico, which helped spread Surrealist ideas internationally.
Influences: Grew directly out of Dada, sharing its rejection of rationality but seeking a more positive exploration of the irrational. Profoundly shaped by Freudian psychoanalysis. Looked to precursors exploring fantasy and the bizarre, like Hieronymus Bosch, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, and Symbolist painters like Odilon Redon. Influenced by the Metaphysical Painting of Giorgio de Chirico. Also drew inspiration from "primitive" art, children's art, and the art of the mentally ill, seen as direct expressions of the subconscious. Key literary influences included Rimbaud and Lautréamont.
Key Artists & Their Contributions
- André Breton (1896-1966): Writer and chief theorist; authored the Surrealist Manifestos (1924, 1929) defining the movement's aims and methods, particularly psychic automatism.
- Max Ernst (1891-1976): German artist, ex-Dadaist; pioneer of techniques like frottage, grattage, decalcomania to create suggestive textures and imagery; painted eerie landscapes and fantastical creatures.
- Salvador Dalí (1904-1989): Spanish painter, became the most famous Surrealist. Known for his "hand-painted dream photographs," meticulous realism depicting bizarre, melting, or hallucinatory scenes (The Persistence of Memory); developed the "paranoiac-critical method."
- René Magritte (1898-1967): Belgian painter; used precise realism to explore the relationship between words, images, and reality, creating witty and unsettling philosophical puzzles (The Treachery of Images).
- Joan Miró (1893-1983): Spanish artist; developed a unique style of automatist abstraction using biomorphic forms, playful lines, and vibrant colors (Harlequin's Carnival).
- Yves Tanguy (1900-1955): French/American painter of vast, empty, dreamlike landscapes populated by strange, smooth, unidentifiable forms.
- Man Ray (1890-1976): American photographer, painter, object-maker active in Paris; created iconic Surrealist photographs (using solarization, rayographs) and objects (Gift, Indestructible Object).
- Meret Oppenheim (1913-1985): Swiss artist; created the iconic Surrealist object Object (Luncheon in Fur), playing on sensory contradiction and fetishism.
- Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966): Swiss sculptor whose early work explored Surrealist themes of violence, sexuality, and dreamlike spaces (Woman with Her Throat Cut).
- Luis Buñuel (1900-1983): Spanish filmmaker; collaborated with Dalí on landmark Surrealist films (Un Chien Andalou, L'Age d'Or), shocking audiences with irrational sequences and attacks on bourgeois/religious values.
Notable Works
- Painting: Dalí, The Persistence of Memory, Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War); Magritte, The Treachery of Images, Time Transfixed, The Human Condition; Ernst, Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale, The Elephant Celebes; Miró, The Tilled Field, Dog Barking at the Moon; Tanguy, Indefinite Divisibility.
- Objects/Sculpture: Oppenheim, Object (Luncheon in Fur); Dalí, Lobster Telephone; Giacometti, The Palace at 4 a.m..
- Photography: Man Ray, Le Violon d'Ingres, Glass Tears, 'Rayographs'.
- Film: Buñuel & Dalí, Un Chien Andalou (1929), L'Age d'Or (1930).
Legacy and Influence
Surrealism had a profound and lasting impact on 20th-century culture worldwide:
- It opened up the exploration of the subconscious, dreams, desire, and the irrational as valid artistic subjects.
- Introduced innovative techniques (automatism, frottage, etc.) aimed at bypassing conscious control.
- Significantly influenced subsequent art movements, particularly Abstract Expressionism in the US (many Surrealists were in NY during WWII), which adopted automatism and psychological depth.
- Its ideas and imagery permeated literature, film (esp. experimental and horror genres), advertising, fashion, and popular culture.
- The questioning of reality and the exploration of the inner world remain central concerns for many contemporary artists.