Surrealism

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Surrealism is an artistic and cultural movement that began in Europe during the early 1920s, with its official launch marked by André Breton's 1924 publication of the Surrealist Manifesto in Paris. Surrealist artists aimed to revolutionize human experience by rejecting rationalism and embracing the power of the unconscious and dreams. They sought to merge dream and reality to create a "super-reality," or surreality.^[1]^[2]

Heavily influenced by psychoanalysis, particularly the work of Sigmund Freud, Surrealists explored the human psyche through various techniques, including automatism (automatic drawing and writing) and the depiction of dream worlds. Their art often featured the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur. They drew inspiration from nature, myth, and primitivism, resulting in works that often depicted illogical scenes and dreamlike ideas.

Many Surrealist artists and writers regarded their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works themselves being secondary (e.g., artifacts of surrealist experimentation). Breton was explicit in his assertion that Surrealism was a revolutionary movement, and it was associated with political causes such as communism and anarchism. It was influenced by the Dada movement of the 1910s.

The term "Surrealism" originated with Guillaume Apollinaire in 1917. However, the Surrealist movement was not officially established until October 1924, when Breton's manifesto solidified his group's claim to the term. From the 1920s onward, Surrealism transcended geographical boundaries, impacting the visual arts, literature, film, and music of many countries and languages, as well as political thought and practice, philosophy, and social theory. Key figures in the movement include Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Joan Miró, Max Ernst, and Meret Oppenheim, each with their own unique style.

History[]

Surrealism began as a literary movement in Europe in the late 1910s and early 1920s that experimented with a new way of expression.

André Breton, the creator of Surrealism, published the Manifesto of Surrealism in Paris in 1924, which was officially consecrated.

Philosophy[]

Surrealism rejected any rational version of life, and favored a vision that was influenced by dreams and the unconscious mind. Some surrealists would draw or write without paying much attention to what they were creating, while others sought to depict their dream worlds.