SURREALISM

By: Kelsey and Michael

WHAT IS SURREALISM?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art defines

surrealism as a literary movement, that began in the

late 1910s and early ‘20s, that experimented with a

new mode of expression called “automatic writing,

or automatism, which sought to release the

unbridled imagination of the subconscious.”

WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN?

Paris 1924

Andre Breton publishes The Manifesto of

Surrealism

MANIFESTO: PART 1

Dream states exhibit qualities unrestrained by

thought and consciousness.  

The simple ‘automatic’ nature of dreams may

expose things which cannot be perceived or

understood otherwise and may reveal more about

existence than other, restrained, forms of thought.

MANIFESTO: PART 2

All things occurring in a dream state seem natural because they are

automatic.

The body does not try to reason or understand while thinking

automatically.• It does however do so in the waking state and is in fact

susceptible to disorientation, or not understanding what is perceived, which suggests that the waking, logical, or conscious states of the mind are not normal and interfere with ‘true’ perception.

Non-automatic thought cannot react in a meaningful way. It can react

and its reaction can be measured in ways but it does not contribute

meaning of itself.

MANIFESTO: PART 3

In a state of automatic thought one will be content

with whatever one perceives.

What one perceives is not lacking in any way, nor

does one desire to experience more or need

anything.

Simple experience is enough for the sake of itself.

MANIFESTO: PART 4

Surrealism is then by definition the combination of

this seemingly unnatural conscious thought or dream

and seemingly natural automatic thought or reality.

One must delve into the depth of dreams and form

a combined reality of both reality and dreams.

THE IDEA BEHIND IT ALL

The poetry and works of art that came from this

time period drew inspiration from the inner

workings of the mind.

Using Freud’s idea of free association, poets and

artists produced surprising and unique works.

FREE ASSOCIATION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuMPKu1Svbs

KEY POETS

French Poets: • Louis Aragon (1897–1982, • Paul Éluard (1895–1952)• Philippe Soupault (1897–1990• All influenced by the psychological theories and

dream studies of Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) and the political ideas of Karl Marx (1818–1883)

KEY VISUAL ARTISTS

German Max Ernst (1891–1976)

Frenchman André Masson (1896–1987)

Spaniard Joan Miró (1893–1983)

American Man Ray (1890–1976

MAX ERNST“La Nymphe Echo” 1990 “The Temptations of St. Anthony” 1945

ERNST

German-born Surrealist

Helped shape the emergence of Abstract Expressionism in

America post-World War II

Medium: sculpture, painting, and collage

Used surrealist art as a means of processing his experience in

World War I

Helped in the transition from surrealism to abstract

expressionism in New York, particularly inspiring Jackson Pollock.

ANDRE MASSON

“In the Tower of Sleep” 1938 “Paysage Iroquois” 1942

MASSON

French painter, draughtsman, printmaker and

stage designer

Automatic Drawing: The hand is encouraged to

move randomly around across the page, allowing

chance to take over.

Many of his works were inspired by the Spanish

Civil War

JOAN MIRÓ

“Carnival of Harlequin” 1924-1925 “Sonnens”

MAN RAY

MAN RAY

Painting, sculpture, film, prints and poetry

Worked in styles influenced by Cubism, Futurism,

Dada and Surrealism

Worked commercial and fine art

Fashion photographer.

ARTISTS INSPIRED BY SURREALISM

GIORGIO DE CHIRICO“Le Muse Inquietanti” 1918“Il Ritornante” 1918

CHIRICO

Helped form the short-lived Metaphysical Art

movement, along with the painter Carlo Carrà.

French Surrealists viewed his early works as a

precursor to surrealism but found his later works

strayed from the movement.• Disapproval of his late works shaped the

ideology of critics

PABLO PICASSO

“Marie-Therese Walter 1937”

“Guernica”

PICASSO

Invented collage

Major contributions to Symbolism

Painter, sculptor, printmaker and ceramist.

“At any one time, his work was usually

characterized by a single dominant approach, he

often moved interchangeably between different

styles - sometimes even in the same artwork.”

FRANCIS PICABIA

“Hera” 1929 “Villica Safe” 1929

PICABIA

"Papa Dada"

Principle figures of the Dada movement both in

Paris and New York

Never actually associated himself with surrealists

though his work was a combination of figurative

images and abstraction.

MARCEL DUCHAMP

DUCHAMP

Spearheaded the American Dada movement together

Picabia and Man Ray.

Challenged the very notion of what art was

Focused on mechanisms of desire and human

sexuality as well as wordplay, much like the Surrealists

Refused to be affiliated with any specific artistic

movement

WHAT HAPPENED TO SURREALISM?

The Surrealist Movement in Europe came to an end with the

onset of World War II

Breton, Dalí, Ernst, Masson, and others moved to New York

to continue their work

Movement found renewal in the United States at Peggy

Guggenheim's (1898–1979) gallery, Art of This Century, and

the Julien Levy Gallery

Later generations of artists, including Joseph Cornell (1903–

1972) and Arshile Gorky (1904–1948, transformed Surrealism

into Abstract Expressionism

DADAISM AND SURREALISM TODAY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMoSs94yfEk

WORKS CITED

"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Surrealism.

N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/surr/hd_surr.ht

m>.

"Manifesto of Surrealism." Manifesto of

Surrealism. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <

http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T340/SurManif

esto/ManifestoOfSurrealism.htm>.

WORKS CITED CTD…

"Max Ernst Biography, Art, and Analysis of Paintings by TheArtStory."

Max Ernst Biography, Art, and Analysis of Paintings by TheArtStory. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://www.theartstory.org/artist-ernst-

max.htm>.

"The Art Story.org - Your Guide to Modern Art." Pablo Picasso Biography,

Art, and Analysis of Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012.

<http://www.theartstory.org/artist-picasso-pablo.htm>.

"The Art Story.org - Your Guide to Modern Art." Marcel Duchamp

Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012.

<http://www.theartstory.org/artist-duchamp-marcel.htm>.