Surrealism artistic movement - Essay Example

Surrealism Table of contents Design Movement 2. Movement leaders 3. Movement accomplishments 4. Conclusion Surrealism is one of the mostsurprising and wonderful artistic movement in the 20th century. It is "a cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement oriented toward the liberation of the mind by emphasizing the critical and imaginative faculties of the "unconcious mind" and the attainment of a state different from, "more than", and ultimately truer than everyday reality" (From Wikipedia). Its country of origination is France; Paris was the most important center of surrealism.

The date 1924 is concerned as the date of its origination, when Breton wrote the Manifesto of Surrealism1. The main factor which led to its development is the political and social situation in Europe after the First World War - the art's protest against economic and social reality in interwar period and against reasons which led to the war: "Surrealism was influenced by Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytical theories, but the movement was also very much a reaction against the "reason" that had led Europe into the devastations of World War I" (Art Words and Terms at Biddington's).

The main political factor of the movement is the political situation after the war: political instability in France and other European countries. The main economic factor of surrealism development is the postwar economic crisis in Europe and world economic crisis after 1929. This situation led to the social factor of surrealism development: people's uncertainty in present day and in future and their aspiration to escape from reality - surrealism gave people the possibility to open unreal and ideal world. 2. There are many representatives of surrealism, but the most significant among them are Breton, Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte.

Bretom was one of the founders of the movement. He, "as the leader of the Surrealist movement, not only published its most thorough explanations of its techniques, aims and ideas, but was the individual who drew in, and expelled, writers, artists and thinkers" (From Wikipedia). In his writings (Second Surrealist Manifesto, Nadja, Mad Love, etc.) he explained his ideas and thoughts. In 1927 he joined the Communist Party. Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was a famous Spanish painter. His father was a notary.

In 1929 Dali joined the Surrealist group in Paris. He was an author of more than 1500 paintings. Rene Magritte (1898-1967). His career as a Surrealist began in 1926 when "Magritte produced his first surrealist painting, Le jockey perdu, and held his first exhibition in Brussels in 1927" (Rene Magritte). Then he moved to Paris and joined the surrealistic group. As the Wikipedia writes about his paintings features, "A consummate technician, his work frequently displays a juxtaposition of ordinary objects, or an unusual context, giving new meanings to familiar things" (Rene Magritte). 3. Surrealism was tightly connected with philosophy of Karl Jung and Sigmund Freud - this philosophic influence was reflected in surrealists' works: "Some of the artists in the group expressed themselves in the abstract tradition, while others, expressed themselves in the symbolic tradition" (History of Surrealism).

The main movement accomplishment is "a restrictive overlay of false rationality, including social and academic convention, on the free functioning of the instinctual urges of the human mind" (From Wikipedia). Surrealism revolutionized the people's ideas of reality and gave its own interpretation of unreal world. This movement transformed people's imagination of many real things including cultural, social and economic aspects of our life. Surrealists appealed to social revolution and radical changes of our society, and they expressed these radical ideas in their masterpieces.

Surrealism affected our ideas of reality and its transformation. In addition to that, surrealism influenced many contemporary kinds of art (pop-art, etc.) and opened new depth in art, life and reality understanding. Its legacy is "a prominent critique of rationalism and capitalism" (From Wikipedia). Although there is no organized movement of Surrealism any more, but its ideas still influence art and all our life. 4. I highly appreciate Surrealism as a very important stage of art development.

It still influences our ideas and thoughts: "Those who have understood the method, who have faithfully followed the images of the subconscious and, with patience, painted and analyzed them, have a lot to teach us about the make up and interaction of the three planes of the Spiritual, the psychological, and the physical" (History of Surrealism). Sources Rene Magritte. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magritte) Sanches M. History of Surrealism.

(http://www.bway.net/monique/history.htm) Surrealism. Art Words and Terms at Biddington's. Biddington's Superrealist and Fantasy Art Gallery. (http://biddingtons.com/content/pedigreesurreal.html) Surrealism. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism) Surrealist Manifesto. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealist_Manifesto)