Surrealism

Introduction To Surrealism

-Surrealism began in Paris in 1924 as a literary movement, with the First Surrealist Manifesto written

by Andre Breton, and continuing to flourish throughout the thirties.

-Grew out of the Freudian Free-Association and dream analysis.

-A direct offspring of Dada

-Surrealism implies going beyond realism, which deliberately courted the bizarre and the irrational to

express buried truths unreachable by logic.

- Surrealism was taken by two forms

-As improvised art which distanced the artist from conscious control.

-Using realistic techniques to present hallucinatory scenes that defy common sense.

Key Surrealism Artists

● Andre Breton - French Writer; wrote The Surrealist Manifesto.

● Hans Arp - Sculptor, Painter, and Collagist; a leader in Dadaism and known for his biomorphic work he became a transitional figure linking the two movements and helping shape Surrealism.

● Max Ernst - Painter and Sculptor; one of the first artist to apply Freud’s dream theories as a source of creativity and “creating non-representational works without a clear narrative”

● Joan Miró - Painter and Printmaker; balanced and encouraged by the Surrealists to dismantle traditional precepts of representation.

● Salvador Dali - Painter, Sculptor, Filmmaker, Printmaker, and Performance Artist; the most versatile and most famous Surrealist artist.

Joan Miró

-He was born in Barcelona in 1893 and received an early introduction to the

arts, taking up art classes from the age of 7.

-Joan Miró is said to be the most surrealist of all the other artists in this

movement.

-Constantly tries to banish reason and loose the unconscious.

-His works were a mixture of fact and fantasy.

-His main goal was, “to express with precision all the golden sparks the soul

gives off”.

-Often incorporated his dreams into his works, and mostly used primary

colors throughout his work.

Joan Miró

Man With A Pipe

1925

57 1/2 × 44 9/10 in

Joan Miró

Blue Star

1927

51 1/5 × 38 2/5 in

Joan Miró

Petit Universe

1933

15 ⅗ x 12 ⅖ in

Joan Miró

Which piece did you like the best? Why?

How do these pieces fit with the movement?

Which piece did you like the best? Why?

How do these pieces fit with the movement?

How it fits

-Miró often worked with a limited palette, yet the colors he used were bold

and expressive.

-Often working with primary colors (Red, Blue, Yellow)

-The animals and objects in the works are often playful, yet seeming to be

from another planet.

-Used unique biomorphic signs for natural objects. Ex. The sun and the

moon.

Salvador Dali

● To bring forth images from his subconscious mind, Dali would induce

hallucinatory states by a process he called the paranoia critical.

“I don’t do drugs, I am drugs.”

● Dali used themes of eroticism, death and decay, animal imagery, and

religious symbols.

● His most famous art piece is Persistence of Memory (image of melting clocks)

● Born May 11, 1904 in Figueras, Catalonia, Spain.

● Dali used Freudian theory to attempt a visual

representation of his dreams and hallucinations.

Salvador Dali Painting

Persistence of Memory

1931

Meant to display the passing

of time by showing several

clocks melting over a dead

animal while in a random and

rather hazy place.

Salvador Dali Painting

The Burning Giraffe

1937

Reflecting the

compartmentalization of one’s

emotional and mental state.

Salvador Dali PaintingSwans Reflecting Elephants (1937)

The double images were a major

part of Dali's "paranoia-critical

period." Dali used this method to

illustrate the hallucinatory forms,

double images and visual illusions

that filled his dreams and

subconscious.

This uses the reflection in a lake to

create the double image seen in

the painting. The background is of

the Catalonian Spain landscape

where Dali grew up.

As well as a self portrait of Dali on

the left.

Salvador Dali Art

Which of these paintings is your favorite?

Why is that?

What do you think about the art of Dali?

Sources

“Gardner's Art through the Ages.” Gardner's Art through the Ages, by Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J.

Mamiya, Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2005, pp. 996–1002.

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/art-between-wars/modal/v/salvador-dal-the-

persistence-of-memory-1931

"Surrealism Movement Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2018. TheArtStory.org Content compiled and

written by The Art Story Contributors Edited and published by The Art Story Contributors Available

from: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm [Accessed 27 Apr 2018]