Surrealist Movement - Essay Example

TOPIC: Surrealist Movement (NAME) (COURSE NAME) (INSTITUTIONS NAME) 28th APRIL 2009 Introduction Surrealism movement was initiated in the early 1920’s and ended in the 1930’s. The movement began because it was against rationalist, but it was similar to Dadaism. The main influence of the movement was Freud’s model of the subliminal and other emerging theories of our sensitivity to reality. Surrealism is a style of art that as introduce in the early 1920’s pressing the non-rational implication of representation arrived at by customary and effects on chance exploitation (Andre, 1924). The objective of Surrealism movement was an attempt to discover an extra ordinary reality by interpreting reality and dream at the same time. The movement based on two situations that contradicts one another completely. The surrealists have a devotion to inaptness, impulsiveness and the arbitrariness of life. This paper will cover the reasons as to why the surrealists movement was formed, when did it take place, what are ideas, event, other artist influenced this movement. It also explains on the most important artist who made up this movement and last the time when the movement ended The surrealism movement of art and literature originated in Europe between the first and Second World War. Surrealism developed formally due to the Dada movement which used to produce anti art that purposely challenged rationalism before the first word war. At this period in time surrealism underline little on negotiations but hugely dealt with positive expression. The surrealism movement signified a revolt against what its associates viewed as the obliteration wrought by the rationalism that had conducted European politics and culture for along period of time during the First World War (Nadeau, 1989). According to historians and critics on history about the movement, the movement was a way of bringing sense and calmness that would bond to the daily rational world in a complete reality and surrealism. A historian by the name Breton saw the insensible as the fountain of the thoughts which he adapted from Sigmund Freud. The movement has continually done well internationally and hence produced the best art World wide artists. The Surrealist movement comprised of artists like Max Ernest, Jean Arp, Ray M, Joan Miro, Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali, who were among the founders of the movement and from the group due to their right interest in politics (Ruth, 1917). All the above mentioned artists influenced the movement a number of ways which happened after the end of the movement in the early 1930s. They helped restore successful results by removing trace of political opportunism and artistic opportunism. The artists advanced of the movement and have gained by removal of discredit in the world of reality. The movement also dealt on the material that the artists used which led to breaking of the movement during world war two. It began with regular drawing techniques and the instruments that were used. All these methods depend for their purpose upon the hallucinatory mind of the artists (Brotchie and Gooding, 1995). The ideas and events that influenced this movement comprises of the “Dada movement” which was established before the First World War. They produced works of anti-art which defied thinking on purpose. Surrealist emphasized on a positive expression. The reason as to why the movement developed was because it aimed at representing a reaction against what its followers saw as the destruction wrought by rationalism. This meant that rationalism guided the European way of life and the political system had culminated in the horrors of the First World War. The Dadaism in surrealism was an anti-art movement. It basically means hobby-horse. The name therefore was randomly chosen from the dictionary (Alexandrian, 1970). The movement was developed primarily for the Dadaists which started in Zurich, Switzerland hence its roots can be traced in France. The most important person who made up the movement was Andre Breton in the year 1924. He was the first person who developed the manifesto of Surrealism “Manifested du surrealisme”. Breton saw that Dadaist had a potential and that was the reason as to why he yearned for it to have a direction. Breton, in the name of the Dadaists made an act that made him later to be the founder of the Surrealists. He held a mock trial of Maurice Barres’ for “Crimes against the security of the Human spirit.” The trial was innovative and had the potential to develop a social impact. Therefore the Dadaist faction based in Berlin was transformed into a political organization that split. One part supported communionism while the other bit died out. In 1923, the dada movement t was declared dead hence the emergence of the Surrealists movement. Tristian Tzara the editor of the Dada’s publications said in his very definition that Dada is a logic of negativism in 1920”s. "Every product of disgust capable of becoming a negation of the family is Dada; Protest by fists with all one’s might in taking destructive action is Dada;...abolition of logic...is Dada;...abolition of memory is Dada; abolition of property is Dada; abolition of history is Dada; abolition of property is Dada; abolition of the future is Dada; absolute and indisputable god-like faith in every product of immediate spontaneity is Dada.” Tristian Tzara. There existed several individuals who became “anti-heroes” of the movement who committed suicide afterwards for example Jacques Vache. The feeling of anguish and cynicism that was felt was as a result of the abnormal destruction by the war. This led to increased numbers of Dadaist followers. There were artist and other intellectuals who sought relief from the First World War who thereafter coupled the Dada movement. The meeting region for the Dadaist was Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. There was other Dadaist performance that was done at Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. The main objective of the Dadaists was to shock its viewers (Franklin, 2003). This meant that when the viewers wanted to know and observe more fro the Dadaists, then the Dadaists were more satisfied The art displayed included the poems which were developed by Tristian Tzara that were composed of unique speeds, languages hence the listeners could not understand it properly. Other artistic presentations were sound poem that was composed of nonsense words put together so as to intricate on the unimportance’s of the Dadaists philosophy. It was because of the sound poems that created the jazz artists in the United States of America. As the Dadaist art was developed, it facilitated positivism that finally created Surrealism (Ruth, 1917) The objective of Surrealism movement was an attempt to discover an extra ordinary reality by interpreting reality and dream at the same time. The movement based on two situations that contradicts one another completely. The surrealists have a devotion to incongruity, spontaneity and the randomness of life. The major reasons as to why the Dadaist movement was initiated are because they wanted to criticize and reject the original notions of the bourgeois society. This was a method to revolt against the devastation of the war. In his book “Paris and the Surrealists”, George Melly describes surrealism as “The child of Victorian Romanism, no matter how rebellious.” 81. They were also against all the 19th century ideals with respect to their response to the war, made them become anti-political, anti-nationalistic. They tend to believe that the society was based on reason and ignored the creative option. Most of their initial art sentised the society as of melancholy. This is true basing on books such as the novels written about Paris. They named the Pope as a dog hence they were anti-clerical. They were against colonialism since they wanted the rebels against the western culture to win on their war. Breton in 1924 facilitated revolution in the surrealism manifesto. They then started to move from the anarchist position to communism. Their periodical in 1926 “la Revolution Surrealist” changed it name to “le Surrealisme au service de la revolution”. This process was the beginning of its coalition with the Third International Communist Part. This change caused the excommunication of some members since they tend to remain apolitical while other went to other movements in Paris by then. It was after several years that Breton published his second manifesto and defined Surrealism into a new political direction. This publication showed his paradigm shift. It emphasized that surrealism basically was meant to provoke from an intellectual point of view. This therefore caused an unrealizable uniqueness between the political communist’s policies and the Surrealists policies (Andre’, 1924) In the Second World War, the surrealist increased their protest against colonialism and condemned the rise of the De Gulle consumerism in France. The German invasion in France convinced many surrealists to flee the country settling in New-York. The movements declined since most of the surrealist refused to learn English and America. In the United States of America, the surrealist groups included the Chicago Surrealist group. Many surrealist artists scattered from coast to coasts in the United States of America influencing man and other surrealist artists all over the world. The surrealist group in Chicago has engaged in a wide range of research especially concerning the great Breton, the founder of the anti-rationalist movement in Paris. After the world war had ended, the movement of surrealism became void. It only represented life after the war. Surrealism still existed and that is why it is apparent today among most of the modern artists throughout the major cities in Europe. Therefore the movement ended in late 1930’s. Reference Information on surrealism available from http://www.popsubculture.com/pop/bio_project/surrealism.html (Retrieved on 10th May 2009) Ruth, B. (1917) “Surreal Lives- The surrealists”, (New York, Sage Publishers) Information on “The surrealist movement in the United States of America” available from www.surrealistmovement-usa.org retrieved on 27th April 2009 Andre’ Breton (1924) “The movement of Surrealism” a lecture in Brussels available from http://home.wlv.ac.uk/~fa1871/whatsurr.html (Retrieved on 12th May 2009) Franklin, R. (2003). Surrealism: A special issue of the journal of Race Traitor, New York: New York Press releases. Andre, B. (1924). What is Surrealism? Selected Writings, ISBN 0-87348-822-9 . Alexandrian, S. (1970). Surrealist Art London: Thames and Hudson Brotchie, A. and Gooding, M. (1995). A Book of Surrealist Games Berkeley, California: Shambhala, ISBN 1-57062-084-9. Nadeau, M. (1989). History of Surrealism Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press, 1989. ISBN 0-674-40345-2. Read More

The movement was developed primarily for the Dadaists which started in Zurich, Switzerland hence its roots can be traced in France. The most important person who made up the movement was Andre Breton in the year 1924. He was the first person who developed the manifesto of Surrealism “Manifested du surrealisme”. Breton saw that Dadaist had a potential and that was the reason as to why he yearned for it to have a direction. Breton, in the name of the Dadaists made an act that made him later to be the founder of the Surrealists.

He held a mock trial of Maurice Barres’ for “Crimes against the security of the Human spirit.” The trial was innovative and had the potential to develop a social impact. Therefore the Dadaist faction based in Berlin was transformed into a political organization that split. One part supported communionism while the other bit died out. In 1923, the dada movement t was declared dead hence the emergence of the Surrealists movement. Tristian Tzara the editor of the Dada’s publications said in his very definition that Dada is a logic of negativism in 1920”s.

"Every product of disgust capable of becoming a negation of the family is Dada; Protest by fists with all one’s might in taking destructive action is Dada;.abolition of logic.is Dada;.abolition of memory is Dada; abolition of property is Dada; abolition of history is Dada; abolition of property is Dada; abolition of the future is Dada; absolute and indisputable god-like faith in every product of immediate spontaneity is Dada.” Tristian Tzara. There existed several individuals who became “anti-heroes” of the movement who committed suicide afterwards for example Jacques Vache.

The feeling of anguish and cynicism that was felt was as a result of the abnormal destruction by the war. This led to increased numbers of Dadaist followers. There were artist and other intellectuals who sought relief from the First World War who thereafter coupled the Dada movement. The meeting region for the Dadaist was Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. There was other Dadaist performance that was done at Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. The main objective of the Dadaists was to shock its viewers (Franklin, 2003).

This meant that when the viewers wanted to know and observe more fro the Dadaists, then the Dadaists were more satisfied The art displayed included the poems which were developed by Tristian Tzara that were composed of unique speeds, languages hence the listeners could not understand it properly. Other artistic presentations were sound poem that was composed of nonsense words put together so as to intricate on the unimportance’s of the Dadaists philosophy. It was because of the sound poems that created the jazz artists in the United States of America.

As the Dadaist art was developed, it facilitated positivism that finally created Surrealism (Ruth, 1917) The objective of Surrealism movement was an attempt to discover an extra ordinary reality by interpreting reality and dream at the same time. The movement based on two situations that contradicts one another completely. The surrealists have a devotion to incongruity, spontaneity and the randomness of life. The major reasons as to why the Dadaist movement was initiated are because they wanted to criticize and reject the original notions of the bourgeois society.

This was a method to revolt against the devastation of the war. In his book “Paris and the Surrealists”, George Melly describes surrealism as “The child of Victorian Romanism, no matter how rebellious.” 81. They were also against all the 19th century ideals with respect to their response to the war, made them become anti-political, anti-nationalistic. They tend to believe that the society was based on reason and ignored the creative option. Most of their initial art sentised the society as of melancholy.

This is true basing on books such as the novels written about Paris. They named the Pope as a dog hence they were anti-clerical. They were against colonialism since they wanted the rebels against the western culture to win on their war.

Read More