Surrealism emerged in the 1920s as an artistic movement that sought to free the imagination and tap into the unconscious mind. Artists used techniques like automatic drawing and writing to create works without rational thought and reveal hidden meanings in dreams and thoughts. The movement was founded in Paris by poet Andre Breton and aimed to challenge social norms through fantastical imagery and exploration of the psyche, influenced by Freudian theories of the subconscious.

1. Surrealism :
 Surrealism means super realism.
 Surrealism literary means ‘above
and beyond reality’.
 Surrealism sought to free the
imaginative human mind & reveal
the unconscious encouraging and
rejection to logic & reasoning.

2. Surrealism

3. Historical background :
Surrealism was an artistic
and literary movement
that emerged in reaction
to the horrors of World
War I. Artists responded
to the horrors of war by
challenging the prevalent
norms of society and its
values. With a spirit of
idealism, artist and writers
shared a belief that they
could change the world by
freeing the unconscious
mind
from
rational
thought.

4. Surrealism term :
This term was coined by ‘Guillaume
Apollinaire’ in 1917 to describe his
own play The Mammaries.

5. .
In 1924, the
French
poet
André Breton
founded
the
first
official
Surrealist
group in Paris.
It
was
comprised of
gifted writers
and poets; later
visual
artists
joined
the
movement.

6. They
practiced
automatic
techniques
—
writing, speaking,
or making art
without thinking
about what they
were
creating, allowing
images and ideas
to flow freely
from
their
imagination.
Often they then
worked back into
a painting to “pull
out”
fantastic
imagery

7. Freudian Influence :

8. …
Freud had significant influence on the
beliefs and practices of the Surrealists.
He believed that our subconscious
thoughts are symbolically represented in
our dreams and fully understand
ourselves, we need to tap into these
dreams and messages. Artists, writers
and poets were inspired to explore the
conscious and subconscious mind.

11. Forms of Surrealism :
• Automatism
• Veristic surrealism

13. Veristic Surrealism :
• Portray the dream world with rich detail.
• Allow the subconscious to surface in order to
interpret meaning.
• Closer to reality.
• Hold some truth.

14. Andre Breton
• Created The
Surrealist Manifesto
based on the “pure
psychic automatism”