The surrealist movement originated in the early 1920s in France as a continuation of Dada. Andre Breton published the Manifesto of Surrealism in 1924, establishing the foundations of the movement. Surrealists were influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis and sought to channel the unconscious mind and free expression through techniques like automatic drawing. Major figures included Dali, Magritte, Miro, Ernst, and Breton himself. Though controversial, surrealism had a significant impact by challenging assumptions of art and popularizing psychology.
A working draft of the final project in the framework of "Art and Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies For Your Classroom" (2014) by Lisa Mazzola on Coursera plarform.
A working draft of the final project in the framework of "Art and Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies For Your Classroom" (2014) by Lisa Mazzola on Coursera plarform.
2. History of the Movement
• Originated in the early 1920s
• Andre Breton began the movement in 1924
with his poem “Manifesto de surrealisme”
• Continuation of Dada
• Post WW1
3. Background
• Psychology was becoming more popular and
was a relatively new area of study
• Sigmund Freud’s theories were reaching the
public
• People were more free and uninhibited. They
were pushing moral boundaries
• The horrors of World War 1 made people feel
as though “progress” and “logic” failed them
4. Origins of Surrealism
• Development of Psychology
– Freud and Psychoanalysis
– Unconscious mind
• Challenge Rationalism and continue Dadaism
• Implement the whole truth in art
• To redefine social norms
5. Influences
• Dada
• Freud’s theories-psychoanalytic theory
• Post WW1 disillusionment
• Giorgio di Chirico-his works were based on
free association of images without regard for
logic
• The ordinary/everyday subject matter
6. Defining Characteristics
• Focus on dreams, unconscious, and spontaneity
• Less censorship/inhibitions
• Reveal contradictions in life
• Skill was not required
• Showing actual, absolute thought
• “Psychic automatism”-just painting/drawing
whatever comes to mind
• Emphasizing ordinary/trivial subjects
• Juxtaposition
7. Techniques
• Automatic drawing-drawing aimlessly, without
thinking
• Frottage-rubbing graphite on paper that is
placed on a textured surface
• Collage
• Exquisite corpse-game where many people
compose drawings on separate pieces of
paper and then put them together later
8. Techniques (cont.)
• Decalcomania-spread thick paint on canvas,
then cover with paper when wet and remove
the paper-this becomes the base
• Grattage-scrape paint off canvas to reveal
imprint
9. Automatism and Veristic Surrealism
• Two different “approaches” to Surrealism
• Automatism is based more on expression and
emotion while revealing the subconscious
• Loosely structured, solely geared to produce
uninhibited images that were valued for the feeling
• Veristic Surrealism was focused on analysis,
subconscious revealed images that needed to be
interpreted for value and meaning
10. Joan Miro (1893-1983)
• Known for his plain life, sense of modesty, methodical nature, and
piece “jumping”, but art that was completely the opposite
• Shifted focus away from fantasy and spontaneity during the
conception of pieces
• Found inspiration in novel things from the environment
• Abstract imagery and allusions, which formed fantastical images
unparalleled by other surrealists
11. • Aspired to become a businessman, but a
nervous breakdown lead him to pursue art
• He began his art career with a Fauve/Cubist
style
• Joined Surrealists in 1924
• Miro’s works are characterized by precision
and detail
• “Coordinated Spontaneity”
15. Rene Magritte
• Born in Belgium November 21, 1898
• Earliest paintings were Impressionistic
• Influenced by Futurism and Cubism
• Became popular in the 1960’s and he
influenced pop art, minimalists, and
conceptual art.
• Played around a lot with perception and
depth of field.
• Main concept of his art: Mystery
• Died from Pancreatic Cancer
16. The Lost Jockey
• 1st exhibition featured: The
Lost Jockey (1927) and he
received lots of criticism, so he
decided to move to Paris
where he met Breton.
• Theatre set in Brussels in the
early 1920’s for Theatre du
Groupe Libre.
• The bibloquet on the right
exists behind and in front of
the right curtain.
17. Renoir Period
• 1943-1947
• colorful painting style
• Feelings of
abandonment and
alienation because
Germany occupied
Belgium and he had
marital problems.
• “The Goad” 1943
18. Vache Period: (1947-48)
• Provocative/crude.
• Switch to Fauve
• Went back to surrealism.
• “The Ways and Means”
(1948)
19. The Son of a Man- 1964
• Society wants to
see more than
what we literally
see.
20. This is Not A Pipe- 1928
• The literal meaning of this painting is true because
this is not a pipe you can physically pick up.
21. Salvador Dali (1904-1989)
• Encouraged to practice art from early age
and studied at an art academy in Madrid,
but did not take it seriously
• Expelled in 1926
• Got involved in Dada movement during
school
• Met Picasso and Miro in 1926, and was
introduced to Surrealism
• Used classical techniques and painted in
the traditional style but contrasted that
with weird landscapes or figures
• Lived “surreally”
22. Salvador Dali (cont.)
• Based a lot of paintings off his dreams, using
“paranoiac critical” method (a method used to
access the subconscious)
• Focused on three major themes: depicting man’s
mesure of the universe, use of collage, objects
charged with sexual symbolism
• Heavily influenced by Freud’s theory
• Had very eccentric personality-critics said it
overshadowed his work
• Kicked out of Surrealist group in 1934
25. Andre Breton (1896-1966)
• Studied psychiatry, friends
with Freud
• Left the Dada movement, but
implemented the techniques
in surrealism
• Wrote Manifesto of Surrealism
in 1924, when he founded the
Surrealism movement
• Wrote 2nd Manifesto of
Surrealism in 1930
• Helped pioneer the inclusion
of culture into art
26. Manifesto of Surrealism (1924)
• Defined surrealism as “pure psychic
automatism”
• being free from logic and reason
• In surrealism, you are exempt from any
aesthetic or moral concern
27. Max Ernst (1891-1976)
• Taught himself how to paint
• Studied psychology and joined German
military during WW1
• Became a leader in Dada movement after
WW1
• became involved in Surrealism in 1922 and
created the technique of frottage,
grattage, and wet paint compression
• His work relied on spontaneity,
juxtaposition, and subjectivity
• His works are mostly figurative but they
have a great deal of abstractness to them
• Heavily influenced abstract expressionism
movement
30. Reactions to Surrealism
• Not well received
• People didn’t understand/misinterpreted
• Wrong/old assumptions about what art should look
like and the subject matter didn’t fit Surrealism
31. Reactions (cont.)
• Controversy over sexism throughout the
movement
• Viewed as objectifying subjects
• Freud did not agree with all the movement’s
principles and noted the flaws
32. Impact
• Heavily influenced abstract expressionism movement as well
as many postmodern movements
• Changed people’s assumptions about art-people wouldn’t
dismiss a piece of art if they didn’t understand
• Changed subject matter-art didn’t have to have a definitive
subject
• Made people think a bit more, made them dig below the
surface to find meaning in a painting
• Popularized psychology, which was still new at the time
• Impacted literature, film, music, art, philosophy, and
sociopolitical practices around the world