Art of the 20th century - Essay Example

Surrealism was a new way of expression and was based on the idea of higher reality of certain forms of association which had been neglected previously. In addition, it was based on the notion of the omnipotence i.e. the dominance and control of dream and in the impartial play of thought. Thus, surrealists sought to break the dreadlock of predictable ways of thinking. In essence, its experiments sought to highlight the task of the unconscious in creativity in a bid to be innovative (ibid 477).

Given the fact that the surrealists were interested in the works of expression of the unconscious, and the finest place of longing in psychoanalytical theory, it was unavoidable that in the long run an effort would be made so as to bring together works of surrealism based on the theme of desire. One such attempt by surrealism was "surrealism: Desire unbound", an exhibition at fate Modem in London which lasted till the 1st of January, 2001(ibid). The exhibition was a major undertaking in which fourteen rooms were set by a given topic.

It focused on specific artistic works and highlighted artists by name. This was such an inspiration to artists since most of the important and a great number of the lesser known facts and figures of the surrealist movement were represented there. During the exhibition, waiting rooms prepared the scene. Men shall know nothing of this was one of the artistic works at the scene presented by Max Ernst. The curator introduced his works by giving his theme. According to him, a theme vital to surrealism is its vision of man as a being driven by desire.

The desire of surrealists was the authentic variety of the self in the inside. In itself, this is not a problem but it can also not be said to be the whole story. In addition, it implies that representations desire can be considered principarily as biographical (Summers&Claude 324).Marcel Duchamp's artistic work, the bride stripped bare by Her Bachelors. dominated the first room which was named after the artistic works reconstructed by Richard Hamilton. Duchamp can be said to be a very good place where a survey on surrealism can be carried out.

From earlier days of Dada, an Iconoclastic vision was found at the frontage of the way out. Andre' Breton had a place written on Duchamp's massive influence. He explained that someday, one can question oneself as to what degree it will be measured legitimate to have painting continued as if the Bride stripped Bare had been created. The great works of glass bold in the room poses a mechanistic vision of sexual desire (ibid 324)The love and poetry room contains artifacts of surrealism as a Literary and a movement across the globe.

In the room, there were publications and manuscripts. The small handbills were the most rewarding in contributing a lot to surrealism. "Parents-tell your dreams to your children" and most significantly, "surrealistic is Literature denied''. In this room, there was the first proposition that there was any form of union within surrealism since there were photographs of international groupings and meetings (Ruhr berg & Waither 477). The last room in the exhibition had enormous amounts of material, some of it unfamiliar.

The material was laid out in an active manner and the subject is a legitimate one in surrealism. The material was disappointing though; it was ultimately not fulfilling due to a number of reasons. One is that whilst